Jun 4 2012
GE Healthcare signed an agreement with Affibody AB ("Affibody") to
collaborate on the development of a Her2-targeted PET imaging agent,
which is scheduled to begin clinical trials later this year.
Future clinical trials will investigate the confirmation of Her2 status
in patients with breast cancer recurrence, to determine if Her 2 status
changes over time, monitor therapy of patients with metastatic breast
cancer receiving anti-Her2 treatments, and help resolve indeterminate
Her2 tests. These studies, if positive, could ultimately pave the way
for better targeting of anti-Her2 therapies to those patients most
likely to benefit.
"The partnership brings together the best of several distinct offerings
- GE Healthcare's market expertise in the global PET market,
industrialization and commercialization and Affibody's expertise in
generating high-affinity binders and initial clinical data," Marivi
Mendizabal, Head of Research for GE Healthcare, Medical Diagnostics. "We
expect a productive collaboration with leading academics and the pharma
industry to help this research reach its full potential."
"We are very pleased to continue our relationship with GE Healthcare
from the preclinical to the clinical setting and look forward to
collaborate with a world-leading partner", commented David Bejker, CEO
of Affibody. "Our clinical data, the first of which was presented at the
34th San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium last December, is the result of
collaborative research with leading academics and has led us to believe
that a Her2-targeted PET imaging agent may benefit many cancer patients."