ImClone Systems Incorporated and DAKO Corporation have entered into an agreement for the development of an Epidermal Growth Factor receptor (EGFr) screening kit. EGFr is a receptor associated with tumor cell growth in a number of solid tumors.
The kit, to be developed by DAKO, will screen patients’ tumors for over-expression of EGFr as a means of identifying those tumors that may be affected by treatment with IMC-C225.
IMC-C225 is ImClone Systems’ investigational monoclonal antibody designed to target and block EGFr.
“The EGFr screening kit will provide oncologists with the ability to rapidly identify their patients’ EGFr status to determine whether they can benefit from treatment with IMC-C225.
DAKO’s highly specific diagnostic will be an important component to treating patients with cancers such as colorectal carcinoma in which 25 to 77 percent of tumors over-express EGFr,” stated Samuel D. Waksal, Ph.D., President and CEO of ImClone Systems.
“We chose DAKO to develop the screening kit because of its reputation for quality and its experience in developing diagnostics for other oncology-related monoclonal antibody therapeutics.”
“DAKO is pleased to be affiliated with ImClone Systems’ IMC-C225, an exciting new type of biologic treatment for patients in need of new therapies to combat cancer,” stated Marc Key, Ph.D., Vice President of Laboratory Operations of DAKO Corporation.
“The EGFr screening kit will enable pathologists to deliver definitive results to the oncologists prescribing IMC-C225 treatment for their patients.
The addition of this diagnostic to our portfolio of screening kits will help DAKO maintain its position as a leader in the field of predictive diagnostics for targeted cancer therapies.”
DAKO is a fully integrated, global provider of cancer diagnostics and research products for pathology and oncology.
The Company’s products utilize antibodies, nucleic acid probes, and proprietary detection technologies to identify specific disease-associated molecules in tissues and cells.
DAKO Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DAKO A/S of Glostrup, Denmark.
ImClone Systems Incorporated is advancing oncology care by developing a portfolio of targeted biologic treatments, designed to address the medical needs of patients with a variety of cancers.
The Company’s three programs include growth factor blockers, cancer vaccines and anti-angiogenesis therapeutics.
ImClone Systems’ strategy is to become a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company, taking its development programs from the research stage to the market.