Exosome Diagnostics, Inc. has entered into an agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, to help further the company's drug development efforts in oncology and other therapeutic areas, utilising the full breadth of Exosome Diagnostics' proprietary technology platforms.
The platforms span across both nucleic acid and protein, including Shahky, Exosome Diagnostics' exosomal protein capture and quantitative analysis instrument.
This agreement represents the first publicly announced partnership that grants access to Exosome Diagnostics' recently unveiled point of care protein detection instrument.
The instrument, Shahky, which has the ability to generate a high signal above the noise by selectively targeting disease specific exosomes and removing background that is non-relevant to the disease in question, was tested and its performance validated in a leading Boston Hospital in early January, 2017.
The instrument's capabilities will make it a powerful technology for discovering, assessing, and validating clinical biomarkers, on a system that has been developed, and overseen by Exosome's Regulatory Department, with design control and engineering practices that are in accordance with FDA and other applicable regulations.
The Shahky instrument represents a disruptive technology for drug development
"We are excited to bring first of its kind technologies, such as Shahky, to our partners. The Shahky instrument represents a disruptive technology for drug development and ultimately the clinic," stated Mario Morken, Head of Business Development for Exosome Diagnostics.
"We are extremely pleased to announce this agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, as this represents a partnership that leverages both the centralised and de-centralised business models of Exosome Diagnostics, in order to bridge the gap between discovery and the clinic for liquid biopsies," stated John Boyce, President and CEO of Exosome Diagnostics.
