Summary: BD and Quest Diagnostics have announced a global collaboration to develop, manufacture, and commercialize flow cytometry-based companion diagnostics (CDx) for personalized treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Takeaways:

  1. End-to-End Solution for CDx Development: BD and Quest aim to provide the pharmaceutical industry with comprehensive services ranging from exploratory panel development to the manufacturing and distribution of FDA-approved diagnostic kits.
  2. Advancing Personalized Medicine: The collaboration leverages BD’s expertise in flow cytometry and Quest’s proficiency in biomarker and assay development to advance personalized medicine and improve patient outcomes.
  3. Impact on Cancer Treatment: Utilizing flow cytometry in companion diagnostics can help select the most effective first-line therapies for cancer patients, ensuring better outcomes and cost savings by rapidly analyzing and understanding individual immune responses.

BD and Quest Diagnostics announced a global collaboration agreement to develop, manufacture, and commercialize flow cytometry-based companion diagnostics (CDx) intended to help select the best treatment for patients with cancer and other diseases.

Creating Companion Diagnostics (CDx) Solutions

Together, BD and Quest will aim to provide the pharmaceutical industry with an end-to-end solution for CDx development. The joint offerings will range from exploratory panel development to the manufacturing and distribution of FDA-approved diagnostic kits.

“BD has been at the forefront of flow cytometry innovation for a half-century, consistently leading advancements in this critical field,” says Steve Conly, worldwide president of Biosciences at BD. “Our collaboration with Quest underscores a shared commitment to advance personalized medicine by leveraging this technology in the development of companion diagnostics to be used alongside therapeutic options for patients.”

Impact of Companion Diagnostics

Using companion diagnostics to help select a first-line therapy for cancer patients can be critical to ensuring the best outcomes and cost savings. Today’s companion diagnostic tests commonly involve technologies such as immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next-generation sequencing (NGS) and imaging. Flow cytometry, an established laboratory technology now being applied in the development of companion diagnostics, can rapidly analyze and sort individual cells to enable health care providers to understand an individual’s immune response and could provide insight as to how best to manage the patient to improve clinical outcomes.

“This strategic collaboration with BD will combine our expertise in developing and validating biomarkers and assays with BD’s leadership in flow cytometry to offer a fully integrated solution on a larger scale,” says William Finger, vice president and general manager, Pharma Services for Quest Diagnostics. “Together, we can bring novel companion diagnostics to market that will enable more precise health care, to potentially improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs.”