Ventana Medical Systems Inc., a member of the Roche Group, has signed an exclusive license agreement with the German Cancer Research Center and University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany to commercialize a novel immunohistochemistry (IHC) primary antibody developed to detect the V600E BRAF mutation protein.
The BRAF protein plays a role in regulating cell signaling, and it has been shown to be mutated in many human cancers. The VENTANA antibody is being developed both as an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) and for research use only (RUO). These products are expected to be the first validated, commercially-available IHC antibodies capable of specifically detecting BRAF mutations. Cancer researchers are evaluating applications of V600E mutation testing in the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of patient response to therapy in major cancers including colorectal, thyroid, brain, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Ventana is investigating the significance of BRAF V600E mutations in the prognosis and prediction of therapy response for patients with this type of cancer.
Andreas von Deimling, MD, Director of Neuropathology at the University Heidelberg and of DKFZ`s Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, says, “We are glad to find our mutation specific antibodies in the center of interest of so many clinicians and hope that this development will assist in improving diagnosis and directing therapy for cancer patients.”
Traditional IHC is not intended to differentiate between mutant and normal protein. Roche, Ventana, and Spring Bioscience are developing antibodies that can differentiate mutant and normal protein to enable pathologists to see clinically-relevant mutations within their cellular context.
Ventana is currently developing the V600E BRAF mutation-specific antibody for IVD use to detect V600E BRAF mutation protein on its VENTANA BenchMark series of automated instruments.
Date: May 30, 2012
Source: Ventana Medical Systems Inc.
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
