Only FDA-Cleared CTC Test to Join Company's Portfolio of Diagnostics
Menarini-Silicon Biosystems today announced they have signed an agreement to purchase all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH® Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) system from Janssen Diagnostics, LLC. CELLSEARCH is used to help manage patients with metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. It is the only FDA-cleared CTC test, and has also been approved by China's FDA for use in monitoring breast cancer patients. Financial details were not disclosed.
The CELLSEARCH® system will join Menarini-Silicon Biosystems' family of advanced diagnostics, which includes the Company's flagship DEPArray™ System. DEPArray is a rare-cell detection and isolation technology that is used globally in a number of therapeutic areas, including oncology. With both DEPArray and CELLSEARCH in its portfolio, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will be able to provide CTC detection on an FDA-cleared platform, and give oncologists and researchers access to unparalleled molecular characterization capabilities. Together, the two technologies provide a unique opportunity to advance next-generation, personalized medicine strategies.
"We are excited to welcome CELLSEARCH to the Menarini-Silicon Biosystems portfolio," commented Lucia Aleotti, Chairman of Menarini Group and Giuseppe Giorgini, CEO, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems. "The combined capabilities of CELLSEARCH together with our DEPArray System will enhance our potential to enable meaningful advances in the field of personalized medicine."
Under terms of the agreement, when the closing will occur, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will seek to retain many of the Janssen Diagnostics employees in roles dedicated to CTCs, and assume operation of Janssen Diagnostics' CLIA-certified laboratory in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The two companies will work closely to transition the business across the many global markets where CELLSEARCH is available.