Ventana Medical Systems, a member of the Roche Group, has partnered to develop a molecular companion diagnostic test to identify patients most likely to benefit from Bayer Pharma AG's antibody-drug conjugate (ADC).

Ventana will use its diagnostic immunohistochemistry platform in order to analyze the expression level of certain tumor targets serving as biomarkers in clinical studies for patient selection.

As per the agreement, over a period of five years, both companies may begin further development projects to develop molecular diagnostic tests in support of additional targeted cancer therapy drugs.

Bayer HealthCare Global Drug Discovery head Andreas Busch said patients most likely to benefit from an ADC will increase the overall probability of therapeutic success for patients suffering from cancer.