BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and UCL Business (UCLB), a wholly owned subsidiary of University College London (UCL), have signed an agreement to improve the early detection of ovarian and breast cancers to enable earlier and more effective treatment.
The agreement provides BD to access UCLB’s biobanks containing human patient samples collected in screening clinical trials for the detection and management of epithelial ovarian cancer and also to develop and validate new biomarker assays.
BD Diagnostics Women’s Health and Cancer vice president and general manager Wayne Brinster said the key to defeating ovarian and breast cancers is detecting the diseases early and managing them effectively, which hinges on diagnostic tests that provide clinicians with timely and accurate information.
"The ability to access UCL’s samples and work with its leading researchers represents a major step toward BD’s goal of developing and commercializing tests that improve the detection and management of these deadly cancers," Brinster said.
UCLB managing director Cengiz Tarhan said the goal for this collaboration with BD is to enable a number of diagnostics to be developed sooner that benefit many who currently suffer from the life-threatening conditions.