Boston University, University of Utah Foundation and Allegro enter license agreement for molecular testing platform

Allegro Diagnostics today announced that the company has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Boston University and the University of Utah Foundation for intellectual property related to the company's molecular testing platform. This platform utilizes gene expression of normal epithelial cells in the respiratory tract to detect early signs of lung cancer. Financial terms of the agreement are undisclosed.

“We believe that Allegro's application of this platform to innovative genomic tests will change the future of diagnosing lung cancer, with the ultimate potential of saving lives”

The "field of injury" principle on which the platform is based refers to the common molecular response that occurs throughout the respiratory tract in current and former smokers with lung cancer. These changes can be detected in a gene expression signature from non-malignant airway cells and indicate the presence of malignancy remotely in the lung. Allegro has applied this platform to generate multiple product candidates. The BronchoGen™ genomic test, which will be the company's first commercially available product, has the potential to be incorporated into standard bronchoscopy procedures to provide additional critical diagnostic information to support more rapid diagnosis and treatment.

"Allegro Diagnostics is committed to bringing early lung cancer detection to the standard of care. The licensing agreement with Boston University and the University of Utah Foundation helps us to achieve that goal by supporting our continued advancement of this breakthrough platform, including the planned commercial launch of BronchoGen in the first half of 2012," said Mike Webb, President and CEO of Allegro Diagnostics.

"We believe that Allegro's application of this platform to innovative genomic tests will change the future of diagnosing lung cancer, with the ultimate potential of saving lives," said Avrum Spira, M.D., M.Sc., Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Boston University and co-founder of Allegro. "We are pleased that technology developed at our institution may enable the early detection of lung cancer and therefore, we are excited to enter into this license agreement with Allegro."

Source Allegro Diagnostics