Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) and Medical Prognosis Institute A/S (MPI), a leading cancer diagnostic development company based in Denmark, today announced that they have signed a Powered by Affymetrix(TM) (PbA) agreement. With this agreement, MPI gains non-exclusive access to Affymetrix microarray technology to develop and commercialize drug sensitivity prediction and prognostic products for patients with cancer.

Of 179 new anti-cancer drugs tested in Phase I trials between 1976 and 1993, only 28 percent were considered effective in Phase III.(1) MPI believes the lack of effect is highly correlated to the response rate, and is now pursuing the opportunity to identify responders; for example, for failed Phase III cancer drugs. Based on Affymetrix microarray technology, MPI aims to market its own proprietary products targeted at individual cancer prognosis and prediction of anti-cancer treatment response.

“Our partnership with Affymetrix enables us to translate our discoveries into robust tools with broad clinical utility to greatly improve the prognosis and treatment of millions of people living with cancer. It also boosts the probability of successful anti-cancer drug development in partnership with drug companies,” said Jesper Drejet, president and CEO of Medical Prognosis Institute. “We are confident of being able to obtain regulatory clearance and achieve commercialization within one to two years.” (2)

“MPI’s cancer prognosis tools have the potential to customize treatment schemes, revolutionize the control of this disease and the chances of recovery,” said Kevin King, president of Affymetrix. “Agreements such as this continue to validate the need for microarrays for complex signatures for reproducibility and accuracy. We are proud to help MPI advance its ambitions to improve drug therapy choices and provide hope for those struggling with this destructive disease.”

Affymetrix offers a continuous path to discover, develop and commercialize complex biomarker signatures. The company partners with leading diagnostic companies through its PbA program. The Affymetrix GeneChip(R) System 3000Dx is the only microarray instrumentation platform to receive regulatory clearance by the U.S. FDA and is CE marked in the European Union for in vitro diagnostic use.

The CLIA-certified Affymetrix Clinical Services Laboratory (ACSL) offers microarray-based molecular diagnostic development support and clinical trial testing services that enable customers to leverage Affymetrix’ technology and experience to bring more effective molecular diagnostic tests to patients faster than ever before. There are currently more than 20 different molecular assay tests based on the Affymetrix platform under development by Affymetrix and its PbA partners.

(1) Sekine I., et al. Relationship between objective responses in phase I trials and potential efficacy of non-specific cytotoxic investigational new drugs. Annals of Oncology 13:1300 (2002).

(2) https://www.medical-prognosis.com/?id=6