Pharmaceutical Business review

GeneCentric, Janssen collaborate to study genomic drug response biomarkers for NMIBC

GeneCentric and Janssen have collaborated to study genomic drug response biomarkers for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. (Credit: Emilian Danaila from Pixabay)

Both companies have not disclosed the financial terms of the deal.

The research will include the application of GeneCentric’s advanced RNA-based molecular profiling platform to illustrate the potential signatures of disease progression and drug response to standard of care therapy.

The research will also focus on evaluating the role of genomic alterations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR).

GeneCentric’s RNA-based gene-expression signatures are said to hold the capacity to detect relevant NMIBC subtypes and markers of response to potential therapeutic options.

The companies will mainly focus on the gathering of tumour genomic and immune microenvironment insights in the setting NMIBC patients by using GeneCentric’s RNA-based tumour bioinformatics technology.

The partnership will use the bladder cancer subtype profiler (BCSP), pan-cancer diagnostics cancer antigen discovery, immunogenomic biomarkers, and prototype FGFR activation gene signatures to gather the insights from the patients.

GeneCentric Therapeutics president and CEO Dr Mike Milburn said: “We look forward to the continued deployment of our suite of RNA-based genomics analysis solutions in this collaboration as we explore the potential role of FGFR in NMIBC.

“This study comes on the heels of the retrospective analysis of mUC patients that were presented earlier this year at the ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.”

GeneCentric Therapeutics, an RNA-based genomic solutions provider, is commercialising its technology via strategic collaborations with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics companies in applications across pre-clinical testing, clinical drug development and commercialisation lifecycle phases.

In June this year, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical secured approval from the European Commission for the subcutaneous formulation of Darzalex (daratumumab) for the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients.