OncoMed Pharmaceuticals and Fluidigm to collaborate on tumour cell analysis
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals and Fluidigm are to work together to apply Fluidigm\'s microfluidic tools to the analysis of tumour cell heterogeneity, including cancer stem cells.
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals and Fluidigm are to work together to apply Fluidigm's microfluidic tools to the analysis of tumour cell heterogeneity, including cancer stem cells.
In the initial application, OncoMed will use Fluidigm's BioMark system and Dynamic Array integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) to perform detailed gene expression analysis of solid tumours. This will track changes in cancer stem cells found in human tumours following treatment with OncoMed's therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
The companies will apply the same technology to analyse tumour heterogeneity and cancer stem cell frequency across OncoMed's human tumour bank of approximately 100 human tumour biopsies that have been engrafted and minimally passaged in immunocompromised mice.
The collaboration also has the potential to include next-generation microfluidic and tissue sample-preparation technologies that Fluidigm is currently developing.
"This technology has broad applications, including the ability to assess the safety and efficacy of therapeutic antibodies that have been generated to eradicate these cells which fuel the growth and proliferation of solid tumours," said Paul Hastings, ceo of OncoMed.
"The combination of OncoMed's expertise in cancer and cancer stem cells, together with Fluidigm's unique single-cell analysis technology should yield important new therapeutic discoveries," added Gajus Worthington, ceo of Fluidigm.