The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced a five-year strategic alliance to accelerate the clinical evaluation and development of Myriad’s molecular residual disease (MRD) assay.
This strategic alliance brings together the longstanding oncology diagnostic experience of Myriad Genetics and the clinical and translational research expertise of MD Anderson to create a portfolio of studies to evaluate the clinical validity and utility of Myriad’s Precise MRD.
We look forward to working with MD Anderson to evaluate Precise MRD’s utility in cancer care. Our collaborative studies will explore how our ultrasensitive Precise MRD test can enhance treatment strategies for providers and improve patient outcomes. We are optimistic that our MRD test’s ability to quantitatively detect tumor-derived DNA at very low levels – far lower than is possible with first-generation MRD tests – will open new opportunities for therapy response and recurrence monitoring.”
Dale Muzzey, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Myriad Genetics
Under the terms of the agreement, MD Anderson and Myriad Genetics will collaborate to design both retrospective and prospective studies to investigate the test’s utility in breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and gynecological cancers. The goal of these studies is to generate evidence that supports national guideline inclusion and healthcare provider adoption. MD Anderson investigators will lead patient enrollment, sample collection, clinical data analysis and manuscript writing. Myriad will provide funding, MRD testing and scientific research support as well as potential milestone and royalty payments under the collaboration.
“This strategic alliance brings together cutting-edge technology and expertise from Myriad with disease-focused expertise and clinical trials excellence from MD Anderson,” said Christopher Flowers, M.D., division head of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson. “We aim to explore numerous applications for MRD testing, including monitoring patients for relapse after treatment, identifying high-risk patients in need of clinical trials and, potentially, intervention approaches.”
The alliance expands upon existing collaborations between MD Anderson researchers and Myriad, including ongoing studies in breast cancer and renal cell carcinoma.
