June 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 collaborating 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.”
For more information: www.gehealthcare.com, www.affibody.se