NEW YORK - Swiss firm Novigenix said today that it is collaborating with radiopharmaceutical company RadioMedix to develop a precision oncology diagnostic for patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
Under the agreement, Novigenix will create an immune-transcriptomic-based test using its proprietary LITOseek platform to monitor the effectiveness of a type of treatment, alpha and beta peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT), which RadioMedix is developing.
LITOseek is a transcriptomic approach that Novigenix uses to profile circulating immune cells, examining genes being transcribed by these cells in the context of a particular cancer. The firm has created a database of profiles from cancer patients and normal controls that it uses to interrogate potential disease-associated signatures.
RadioMedix CEO Ebrahim Delpassand said in a statement that the goal is for the test to be able to measure response to treatment and detect progressive disease earlier than other currently available tools. PRRT involves the targeted delivery of therapeutic radionucleotides (alpha or beta emitters) to the site of a tumor via attachment to a specific peptide or its analogue, which preferentially binds to the tumor.
"Precise measurement of the therapy response against NET is extremely important for the management of patients," Delpassand said in a statement.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.