Bio-Rad Announces Collaboration Agreement with Oncocyte to Commercialise Transplant Monitoring with Droplet Digital PCR
April 12, 2024 – Biotechnology – Bio-Rad Laboratories, Oncocyte, droplet digital PCR, transplant monitoring
The collaboration aims to provide researchers with cutting-edge tools to enable transformational monitoring of key biomarkers in solid tissue transplants
12 April 2024 — California, US — Bio-Rad Laboratories, a global leader in life sciences research and clinical diagnostics products, today 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-cfDNA) 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 methods.
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.
Commenting on the collaboration, 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 sciences applications. We believe that Oncocyte’s transplant monitoring assays and the Bio-Rad QX600 ddPCR System solution for the non-invasive measurement and quantification of key biomarkers used in solid tissue transplant monitoring research has the potential to advance science and save lives.”
About Bio-Rad
Bio-Rad Laboratories is a leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing a broad range of products for the life sciences research and clinical diagnostics markets. Based in Hercules, California, US, Bio-Rad operates a global network of research, development, manufacturing and sales operations with over 8,000 employees and $2.7bn in revenues in 2023. Our customers include universities, research institutions, hospitals, food safety and environmental quality laboratories and biopharmaceutical companies. Together, we develop innovative, high-quality products that advance science and save lives. To learn more, visit bio-rad.com.
