As immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs have shown spectacular results in some patients, while other patients show little or no response, the race is on to develop biomarkers of immune activity that can help identify responders from non-responders. Now, a team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute…

GeneCentric Therapeutics has broadened its tool set for subtyping cancer patients by acquiring Select ImmunoGenomics, a provider of advanced immunogenomic, data analysis, and biomarker development services to support the development of immuno-oncology drugs. The combined company now boasts a large, integrated set of RNA-based solutions for identifying the right patients…

Using single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers led by Dominic Grün, PhD, group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics have constructed a comprehensive cell atlas of the healthy human liver. Based on the analysis of 10,000 cells from nine human donors, the cell atlas maps all of the…

Researchers have uncovered three ways FOXA1 (Forkhead box A1) gene mutations override normal biology to drive an estimated one-third of prostate cancers. Dubbed FAST, FURIOUS and LOUD, the three mechanisms are described in a paper by researchers at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. Their findings were published in Nature,…

BGI Genomics plans to commercialize Natera’s Signatera molecular residual disease (MRD) test in China, and develop reproductive health tests in select markets on BGI's sequencing instruments, through a $50 million partnership announced by the companies this week. In China, Natera and BGI Genomics said, the Signatera MRD and molecular monitoring…

Bio-Techne has agreed to acquire Exosome Diagnostics for up to $575 million, in a deal intended to position the buyer as a leader in non-invasive liquid biopsies and a developer of diagnostics for chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) cancer therapies. Headquartered in Waltham, MA, Exosome Diagnostics is a developer…

Genoptix has terminated its planned $10 million acquisition of Rosetta Genomics after fewer Rosetta shareholders approved the deal than needed for it to be completed, the companies said today. The termination followed an extraordinary general meeting of Rosetta shareholders held yesterday. Votes representing approximately 47% of the total shares outstanding…

Patient-centric genomics company DxTerity announced it will collaborate with California-based City or Hope Medical Center on the clinical development of a blood test intended to predict whether patients about to undergo radiation therapy for cancer are likely to benefit from the treatment. The test will also seek to provide information…

Molecular diagnostics company Biocept announced today it will collaborate with Shilpa Gupta, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota to observe the performance of the company’s liquid biopsy platform to detect the expression of PD-L1 and androgen receptor (AR) in patients diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancers. Biocept’s Target Selector™ platform…

MDx Health plans to acquire NovioGendix for up to $8.8 million, the companies said today, in a deal that expands the buyer’s uro-oncology offerings with a non-invasive urine-based molecular biomarker test for prostate cancer that is set to be launched to market next year in the U.S. and Europe. Privately-held…

Rosetta Genomics said today it has agreed to acquire CynoGen, which does business as PersonalizeDx, from Prelude, in a purchase that expands the buyer’s presence and product offerings in oncology diagnostics. The acquisition will also create a combined pipeline for Rosetta Genomics that is set to introduce to market five…