Aposense, a developer of diagnostic and in-vivo based products targeting apoptosis, has signed a collaboration agreement with Roche, under which Roche will use Aposense's EarliTest for imaging of apoptosis in oncology clinical trials.
EarliTest, comprising the ML-10 imaging agent for imaging apoptosis with PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and dedicated image analysis software, is designed to image tumor response early during treatment and has the potential to accelerate drug development by providing feedback on the biological effect of treatment very early on.
The data to be generated from the collaboration will provide an opportunity for the parties to expand utility of EarliTest to oncological therapies.
Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, Roche will fund the clinical trials and pay Aposense certain license and milestone fees, in undisclosed amounts.
Aposense CEO Yoram Ashery said that this collaboration with Roche, an industry leader in the field of oncology, demonstrates the interest within the pharmaceutical industry in using novel tools for early assessment of response to anticancer treatment in clinical trials.
“The delayed availability of feedback on drug activity using traditional methods is a significant unmet need, not only for patients, but also in the development of novel therapies for combating cancer,” Ashery said.