Agilent Technologies and Agendia Sign Agreement on Molecular Cancer Diagnostics

Agilent Technologies Inc. and Agendia Inc. are developing an RNA-Seq kit version of Agendia’s currently marketed MammaPrint and BluePrint tests.
 
Agendia’s MammaPrint test provides High-Risk or Low-Risk test results to assess the risk of distant metastasis within five years, in breast cancer patients with Stage I or Stage II disease. Agendia’s BluePrint test builds on the foundational prognostic precision of MammaPrint, to classify the breast cancer into one of four molecular subtypes. These results help to predict clinical outcomes in women with early-stage breast cancer.
 
Using Agilent’s SureSelect target enrichment system, the new RNA-Seq kit will enable Agendia to develop and perform the MammaPrint and BluePrint tests, as next-generation sequencing assays. This capability will allow the tests to be run in decentralized settings that can utilize a larger footprint of next-generation sequencing instruments, thus affording patients global access to these tests. The ability to perform these tests at locations closer to the patients, provides greater accessibility and the potential for more cancer patients to get better individualized treatment management. The initial phase of kit development is expected to be completed in 2017, providing early access to limited markets in Europe.

“We have had a long-term collaboration with Agilent and are excited to further our relationship,” said Mark Straley, CEO of Agendia. “The addition of Agilent’s RNA next-generation sequencing technologies to our current microarray platform will allow us to penetrate international markets where decentralized kit offerings are preferred, and help us to achieve our core mission of providing all women access to advanced cancer diagnostics.”
 
Agilent Technologies is a provider of target enrichment for next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing solutions. Target enrichment saves researchers time and resources by enabling them to focus on regions of interest rather than looking at the entire genome. Agendia is a molecular diagnostics company that develops and markets FFPE-based genomic diagnostic products. Agendia’s MammaPrint microarray-based diagnostic test is currently the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared breast cancer recurrence test intended for use in breast cancer patients of all ages.
 
“We are excited to partner once again with Agendia,” said Jacob Thaysen, president of Agilent’s Diagnostics and Genomics Group. “Both companies share a common goal of fighting cancer and this agreement leverages Agendia’s expertise in molecular cancer diagnostics and Agilent’s leading NGS target enrichment technologies to ultimately enable the best treatment decision to be made for each individual.”

Agilent Technologies Inc. develops analytical laboratory technologies. The company generated revenues of $4.2 billion in fiscal 2016 and employs about 13,000 people worldwide.
 
Agendia is a privately held molecular diagnostics company that develops and markets genomic diagnostic products to help support physicians with complex treatment decisions. Agendia’s breast cancer tests were developed using an unbiased gene selection by analyzing the complete human genome. Its offerings include MammaPrint, a 70-Gene Breast Cancer Risk-of-Recurrence test, and BluePrint, a molecular subtyping assay that provides deeper insight leading to more clinically actionable breast cancer biology.