XDx, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company focused on noninvasive gene expression tests for the monitoring of immune-mediated conditions, announced today that it has signed a collaborative pharmacogenomics agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. The collaboration is focused on identifying biomarkers in the field of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) for clinical diagnostic purposes associated with the clinical development of Orencia® (abatacept), a Bristol-Myers Squibb drug approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Bristol-Myers Squibb will make an upfront payment to XDx in addition to milestone payments upon the successful achievement of specific research and development objectives. XDx will receive commercial rights to certain diagnostic applications resulting from the collaboration. “This collaborative agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb further underscores our leadership in gene expression technologies and analysis applied to molecular diagnostics and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to patients battling serious immune-mediated disorders such as lupus,” said Pierre Cassigneul, president and chief executive officer, XDx. “We are pleased to be working with our new partners at Bristol-Myers Squibb and we intend to continue leveraging our R&D, clinical, and bioinformatics capabilities through partnerships to further demonstrate the utility of our innovative biomarker identification technologies and diagnostic work in autoimmune disease.”
