Date: Nov 21, 0213 Author: Damian Garde Source: Fierce Medical Devices
By Damian Garde
Despite some ongoing patent battles and mounting legal trouble, Myriad Genetics ($MYGN) remains a heavy hitter in the world of cancer diagnostics, and now the Utah company has struck up a deal with drug developer BioMarin Pharmaceutical to use one of its molecular tests to develop a targeted cancer drug.
Under the agreement, BioMarin ($BMRN) will use Myriad's test for homologous recombination deficiency--a cancer-tied genetic malfunction--to identify targets and ideal patients for its in-development BMN-673. The early-phase drug is designed to treat advanced tumors with DNA-repair pathway deficiencies, inhibiting PARP enzymes to kill off malignant cells.
That's where Myriad comes in. Homologous recombination deficiency, or HRD, makes it difficult for a tumor to repair double-stranded DNA breaks, leaving it more susceptible to DNA-damaging drugs like BMN-673. The company's test, by identifying patients most likely to respond to therapy, has the potential to speed up the drug's development and produce some positive outcomes, Myriad Chief Scientific Officer Jerry Lanchbury said.
Read more: Myriad partners up with BioMarin for cancer diagnostics - FierceMedicalDevices http://www.fiercemedicaldevices.com/story/myriad-partners-biomarin-cancer-diagnostics/2013-11-21#ixzz2o2hRQyWr
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