Alliance for Erbitux Biomarker Study

An agreement with Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany) to conduct a cancer biomarker study with application to Erbitux (cetuximab) has been announced by Monogram Biosciences, Inc. (S. San Francisco, CA, USA).

Erbitux, developed by Merck, is an lgG1 monoclonal antibody specifically targeting the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) found on many cancer cells. Monogram will use its proprietary eTag assays to test formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples from patients with colorectal cancer before they are treated with Erbitux to evaluate the usefulness of these assays for identifying patients most likely to benefit from Erbitux.

Monogram will test the samples for EGFR-containing receptor dimers, which Monogram has identified as potential biomarkers for predicting response to Erbitux. These biomarkers represent activated, functioning targets for the drug and control signal transduction pathways involved in tumor cell proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis. The two companies will then compare Monogram's predictions of response based upon eTag assay analysis with actual clinical outcomes. Merck will make payments to Monogram for the project. Additional financial details were not disclosed.

"We believe that predictive diagnostics will play an expanding role in clinical testing and clinical practice in this field,” noted William D. Young, chairman and CEO of Monogram. "Tests like our eTag assays may empower physicians, benefit patients, and enhance clinical medicine by linking molecular pathways of the individual patient's disease to the prescription of critical drugs like Erubitux.” Monogram's former name was ViroLogic.





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Merck KGaA
Monogram