Bio-Rad Laboratories, a global organisation focusing on life science research and clinical diagnostics products, has announced a collaboration agreement with Oncocyte Corporation, a precision diagnostics company, to develop and commercialise transplant monitoring products using Bio-Rad’s Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) instruments and reagents.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bio-Rad has committed to participate in a private placement of Oncocyte’s equity and has secured exclusive commercial rights in certain markets to commercialise Oncocyte’s assay for transplant monitoring research using Bio-Rad’s QX600 ddPCR System.
Transplanted organs release cell-free DNA into the bloodstream of the recipient. This donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA1) is a sensitive biomarker for organ health that requires only a simple blood draw.
The novel approach developed by the team at Oncocyte allows the assay to be applied to clinical research of both recent and non-recent transplants.
The utility of the ddPCR-based approach has been well demonstrated, including in a prospective, observational, multicentre cohort trial published in 2017, which showed earlier and more sensitive discrimination of liver transplant patients with acute rejection, compared to conventional liver functional test methods2.
Oncocyte’s transplant monitoring assays and the Bio-Rad QX600 ddPCR System provide a highly sensitive and decentralised solution that could provide a more attractive alternative for laboratories that currently rely on centralised next-generation sequencing (NGS) test providers.
Simon May, EVP and President of Life Sciences at Bio-Rad Laboratories, stated: “This collaboration advances Bio-Rad’s strategy to establish Droplet Digital PCR as a foundational technology by providing researchers and laboratories with high-value assays across a variety of life science applications. We believe that Oncocyte’s transplant monitoring assays and the Bio-Rad QX600 ddPCR System solution for the noninvasive measurement and quantification of key biomarkers used in solid tissue transplant monitoring research has the potential to advance science and save lives.”