Inostics signs licence agreement with Johns Hopkins

Licensing

German molecular diagnostics specialist Inostics GmbH has obtained a world-wide exclusive license for detection of PIK3CA mutations from Johns Hopkins University.

The license grants Inostics the exclusive right to use digital PCR techniques and other technologies such as sequencing to determine PIK3CA mutations.

Bert Vogelstein, one of the co-founders of Inostics, discovered that mutations in the PIK3CA gene may play an important role in tumour cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis.

Thus PIK3CA mutations may also serve as predictive biomarker for compounds targeting the PIK3CA pathway. About a dozen pharma and biotech companies are currently developing drugs to inhibit PIK3CA and Inostics will use the licensed technology to develop plasma and tissue tests for the detection of PIK3CA mutations, for use in drug discovery

“A PIK3CA test will be an important tool to select patients for clinical trials of PIK3CA inhibitors, as mainly patients with a PIK3CA mutation are expected to benefit from such a treatment,” said Frank Diehl, CSO and cofounder of Inostics. “In addition, such a test may be used for companion diagnostics, to stratify patients once a PIK3CA inhibitor is approved.”