Orion Genomics Signs Multi-year Collaboration, License Agreement With Novartis

Orion Genomics has entered into a multi-year collaboration and license agreement with the molecular diagnostics unit of Novartis. As per the agreement, the parties seek to discover novel epigenetic biomarkers and both have rights to independently develop and commercialise diagnostic products in their respective fields.

Under the terms of the deal, Orion Genomics also grants Novartis non-exclusive world-wide rights to its proprietary, MethylScreen clinical assay technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Reportedly, the collaboration would leverage Orion Genomics’ MethylScope Technology to build high-resolution genome-wide DNA methylation maps for the discovery of epigenetic biomarkers in multiple disease fields.

Additionally, Novartis obtains a non-exclusive license to MethylScreen Technology, Orion’s PCR-based clinical assay platform that quantitatively detects epigenetic biomarkers in patient samples.

Under the agreement, Orion and Novartis plan to develop and commercialise diagnostic products that address various stages of disease. Resulting diagnostic tests could lead to advances in personalized medicine, potentially helping doctors optimize the treatment of patients.

Nathan Lakey, president and CEO of Orion Genomics, said: “Epigenetic changes can play a key role in certain disease biology, and could lead to the development of important new diagnostic tools. Ultimately, our collaboration with Novartis Molecular Diagnostics aims to support the development of innovative tests which we hope will provide physicians and patients with better information to guide treatment decisions.”

Orion Genomics’ MethylScope and MethylScreen technologies are used to discover and validate epigenetic biomarkers, which are changes to a layer of information written on top of the DNA molecule in the form of DNA methylation. DNA methylation controls whether or not a gene is turned on or off, also called gene-silencing. Epigenetic changes can be associated with disease risk, disease progression, and response to therapy.