Response Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:RGDX), a company focused on the development and sale of molecular diagnostic tests for cancer, announced today it has signed an amended and restated master service agreement with GlaxoSmithKline, Ltd. (NYSE:GSK). This agreement extends the current agreement between the companies for a two-year period and names Response Genetics as preferred provider of genetic testing services to GlaxoSmithKline and its affiliated companies. In anticipation of 2009 services, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to make an upfront payment to Response Genetics of $1.3 million before the end of 2008.

“We are very pleased to continue supporting GlaxoSmithKline’s clinical trial development program,” said Kathleen Danenberg, Response Genetics’ president and CEO. “Our collaborative relationship underscores the value our service and patented technology brings to pharmaceutical partners like GlaxoSmithKline, in helping them develop new cancer-fighting therapies.”

Response Genetics’ patented diagnostic technology and services are also commercially available to physicians through the company’s ResponseDX: Lung™ and ResponseDX: Colon™ tests. By providing information on a panel of molecular markers, these PCR-based genetic tests can help physicians with therapeutic treatment decisions in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.