Qiagen acquires CTC technology, 4/15

April 2015—Qiagen has expanded its portfolio of liquid biopsies through the acquisition of a proprietary technology from AdnaGen. The technology allows a complete solution for the detection and analysis of circulating tumor cells for clinical applications. It enriches disease-specific tumor cells using magnetic particles in an antibody mixture, then isolates and purifies messenger RNA for analysis using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Qiagen also announced a partnership with Tokai Pharmaceuticals to combine this CTC technology with a molecular assay to co-develop and commercialize a companion diagnostic for Tokai’s novel drug compound galeterone, which is in late-stage clinical trials for treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. The noninvasive test will determine the expression of the AR-V7 biomarker, which in recent studies has demonstrated potential utility to guide therapy choice in CRPC patients. Tokai’s oral small molecule has received Fast Track designation from the Food and Drug Administration and is expected to enter phase III clinical trials in the first half of 2015, using Qiagen’s AR-V7 assay in development. The assay will run on Qiagen’s Rotor-Gene Q MDx detection platform.

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