Agreement gives Abbott rights to products using PRoGRP biomarker for lung cancer

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., May 16 - Abbott Diagnostics entered into a licensing agreement with Advanced Life Science Institute, Inc. (ALSI) for its Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP), a biomarker that may assist clinicians in diagnosing and monitoring small cell lung cancer.

There is no diagnostic test approved in the United States for testing serum for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in men and women, according to a company news release.

"ProGRP has shown promise in preliminary studies as a test for lung cancer, which accounts for about 13% of the new lung cancer cases in the United States alone each year," Abbott's vice president of diagnostic systems and assays, William Brown, said in the release.

"Through automation, this marker could be further refined for clinical use."

The agreement gives Abbott worldwide rights to commercialize products using ALSI's ProGRP material and technology. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

ALSI is biotechnology company located in Saitama, Japan, that develops diagnostic reagents for infectious viral diseases and tumor markers.

Abbott, based in Abbott Park, Ill., develops pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics.

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