Annexin 3, also known as Anxa 3, would be used to provide better identification of patients with a high probability of prostate cancer, thereby reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies, said bioMerieux. The Anxa 3 test will be complementary to the tPSA and FPSA tests available on Vidas.
The first phase of research is beginning at bioMerieux, which will be followed by the development of a diagnostic test for the Vidas platform. While the confirmatory diagnostic application on Vidas will be the initial focus, bioMerieux is also considering the development of treatment decision and prognostic applications for Anxa 3. The financial details of the deal are not disclosed.
Andre Schrattenholz, chief scientific officer of ProteoSys, said: “It was an obvious choice to partner with bioMerieux because of its strategic focus on oncology, the market leadership of its Vidas platform and its extensive commercial network.”