NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – In vitro diagnostics developer EDP Biotech said today it has signed a deal with Luminex to develop, market, and sell a blood-based colorectal test using the xMAP technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Called ColoPlex, the inexpensive blood test uses multiplexed immunoassay technology and machine learning to detect early state colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps.
Luminex's bead-based xMAP technology allows EDP Biotech to look at up to 50 proteins from a single blood sample. Combined with data analytics, this allows the firm to detect protein profiles associated with precancerous polyps and early-stage colorectal cancer. "Our goal is to give physicians a new tool to help their patients when it matters the most," said Eric Mayer, CEO of EDP.
The test will be the first commercial test from EDP, a company incorporated in 2005 and based in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2010 the firm described successful pre-clinical trials and was preparing to submit a single-marker sandwich immunoassay test to the US Food and Drug Administration. According to the company website it currently has six clinical studies ongoing in Europe to support European launch of the ColoPlex test.
EDP said that though today's deal using the xMAP technology targets colorectal cancer, it could be adapted for the early detection of other tumors and diseases.