In just the past week, Ventana Medical Systems has announced three different collaborations to develop companion diagnostics:

-Aeterna Zentaris Inc. entered into a collaboration agreement with Ventana Medical Systems to develop a companion diagnostic for the immunohistochemical determination of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) receptor expression, for the Company’s doxorubicin LHRH targeted conjugate compound, AEZS-108. In humans, LHRH receptors are expressed in a significant proportion of endometrial, ovarian, breast, bladder, prostate and pancreatic tumors. AEZS-108 specifically targets LHRH receptors and therefore, could prove to be more efficient in treating patients with these types of LHRH-receptor positive cancers. Phase 2 trials with AEZS-108 for LHRH-receptor positive advanced endometrial and ovarian cancer have recently been completed.

-Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Ventana Medical Systems entered into an agreement to develop a companion diagnostic assay to select patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for treatment with erlotinib and Syndax’s proprietary lead molecule entinostat.

-Ventana Medical Systems entered into a collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc. and a license agreement with Cell Signaling Technology (CST) to develop the first fully automated and standardized immunohistochemistry (IHC) companion diagnostic test for ALK gene rearrangements. Ventana will develop the test which is intended to identify non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosinekinase (ALK) gene rearrangements who may benefit from Pfizer’s XALKORI (crizotinib), which was approved in the U.S. in August 2011. The test will measure the associated protein product when an ALK gene rearrangement is present.

The announcement of three such collaborations in such a short period of time is unprecedented. Moreover, it demonstrates how seriously committed Roche (Ventana's parent company) is to developing companion diagnostics and to personalized medicine paradign in general.

-Richard Park