NEW YORK – Single-cell assay developer BioSkryb announced Monday an exclusive agreement to license technology from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital that it plans to use in a diagnostic test to detect and define populations of cancer cells during treatment.
The deal builds on a previous exclusive licensing agreement for research-based applications of primary template-directed amplification technology. BioSkryb will initially focus on hematologic cancers, followed by the development of similar solutions for solid tumors, the partners said. Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
BioSkryb's SkrybAmp technology offers whole-genome amplification of single-cells, with the ability to enrich for and capture subsets. The Durham, North Carolina-based firm was cofounded by Stanford University Medical School professor Charles Gawad, who developed PTA while working at St. Jude.
"With this expanded licensing agreement, we hope to use this technology developed by scientists at St. Jude to generate diagnostic solutions that provide real insights to improve cancer treatments," BioSkryb CEO and Cofounder Jay West said in a statement.