Abbot Licenses Biomarker to Develop Lung Cancer Test

Abbott (Abbott Park, IL, USA) has entered into a licensing agreement with Advanced Life Science Institute, Inc. (ALSI, Saitama, Japan), for its pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP). ProGRP is a biomarker that may assist clinicians in diagnosing and monitoring small cell lung cancer, an aggressive type of cancer that can multiply quickly and rapidly spread throughout the body.

Currently, no diagnostic test is approved in the United States for testing serum for lung cancer. However, serum diagnostic tests are commonly used by physicians to confirm the presence of other diseases. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. About six out of 10 people with lung cancer die within one year of being diagnosed with the disease. The chance of cure increases substantially if cancer is detected early.

Under terms of the agreement, Abbott obtains worldwide rights to commercialize products using ALSI's ProGRP material and technology. Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

In Japan, scientific findings on ProGRP have already influenced how small cell lung cancer is diagnosed and managed by physicians. By partnering with Abbott, ALSI may be able to bring this tumor marker technology, and its potential to improve patient outcomes through earlier diagnosis, to a larger audience, said Tetsuo Itoh, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, ALSI.

ALSI develops diagnostic reagents for infectious viral diseases and tumor markers. The company also develops innovative technologies that target the eradication of serious illness, such as diagnostic kits for the detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigens and hepatitis B virus (HBV) core-related antigens, as well as kits for the diagnosis of early-stage small cell lung cancer.

Abbott Diagnostics offers a broad range of innovative instrument systems and tests for hospitals, reference labs, blood banks, physician offices, and clinics.



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