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Angle, Abbott Ink Deal for Use of FISH With Harvested CTCs

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Angle said today that Abbott will supply PathVysion HER-2 DNA FISH kits for a study aimed at investigating analysis of circulating tumor cells. 

Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Angle's study intends to demonstrate that CTCs can be harvested from the blood of metastatic breast cancer patients using its Parsortix system and is being conducted in support of a marketing application with the US Food and Drug Administration. Further, the study aims to show that clinicians can subject the harvested CTCs to fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis to determine HER-2 status.  

Physicians already use results from Abbott's PathVysion HER-2 probes to help determine which patients may be the best candidates for personalized therapy.

Angle said that about one in every five breast cancer patients has a positive HER-2 result and is most likely to respond to Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody produced by Genentech.

It noted that obtaining solid-tumor biopsy specimens in late-stage cancer is not always possible, and a patient’s HER-2 status can change with disease progression. Using blood biopsy as a substitute for solid-tumor biopsy could provide an avenue to new therapies, Angle said.

Angle Founder and CEO Andrew Newland said in a statement that following its FDA studies, the firm hopes to be able to work with Abbott to "extend PathVysion use into routine blood test analysis as an important downstream application of the Parsortix system in breast cancer."

Kathryn Becker, Abbott's franchise director of oncology and companion diagnostics, added, "The PathVysion HER-2 DNA FISH Probe kit is reliable and accurate in tissue biopsy samples, and the Parsortix system may unlock the potential for PathVysion use in a simple blood test." She noted that the firm could have an "opportunity to further collaborate with Angle in combining FISH and liquid biopsy in other areas."