Genetron Health Enters Exclusive Global Licensing Agreement with ImmuQuad Biotechnologies to Develop and Commercialize Minima...
October 22 2020 - 6:00AM
Genetron Holdings Limited (“Genetron Health” or the “Company”)
(Nasdaq: GTH), a leading precision oncology company in China that
specializes in offering molecular profiling tests, early cancer
screening products and companion diagnostics development, today
announced that it has entered an exclusive licensing agreement with
Hangzhou ImmuQuad Biotechnologies Co., Ltd (ImmuQuad) to develop
and commercialize Seq-MRD, a diagnostic assay for the detection and
monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in select hematologic
cancers.
Under the agreement, Genetron Health has exclusive rights to
research, develop, commercialize, and manufacture MRD detection
products or testing methods in select hematologic cancers using
ImmuQuad’s Seq-MRD globally. ImmuQuad is eligible to receive high
single-digit royalties on product sales for 10 years following
commercialization. Separately, Genetron Health has made a minority
equity investment in ImmuQuad.
ImmuQuad is a leading biotechnology company in China focused on
developing an immune profiling platform for clinical diagnostics
and life sciences research. The Company’s proprietary immunomics
platform employs next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to
read and decode the diverse genetic code of a patient’s adaptive
immune system and applies it in key areas, encompassing MRD
monitoring for hematologic cancers (i.e. Seq-MRD), early disease
detection and cellular therapies discovery and development.
MRD refers to the small number of cancer cells that can remain
in a patient’s body after treatment and may eventually cause
recurrence of the disease. Over the past few years, ImmuQuad has
developed Seq-MRD as a clinical diagnostic tool to assess treatment
effectiveness, provide ultra-sensitive monitoring and guide therapy
maintenance intensity in hematologic cancer patients. ImmuQuad has
validated Seq-MRD data with thousands of clinical samples covering
primarily acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and multiple myeloma
(MM).
Compared to the current standard of flow cytometry, Seq-MRD
offers higher sensitivity and less required sample quantity, and is
being further developed to offer significantly more convenient
sample options via either bone marrow aspirate or peripheral blood.
Genetron Health will conduct further validation of Seq-MRD in MM,
chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) to
expand the clinical utility to cover more patients. In China, the
total addressable market is promising for Seq-MRD. In 2017, it was
estimated that there were approximately 135,000 newly diagnosed
patients with T or B-cell lymphoid malignancies, including about
80,000 in NHL, 35,000 in ALL and CLL, and around 20,000 in MM,
respectively. In terms of prevalence, the total number of patients
in these cancers were approximately two to four times of the newly
diagnosed numbers1, and Seq-MRD could become a standard MRD test in
both new and existing patients. Outside of MRD, ImmuQuad’s immune
profiling platform also bears significant market potential in early
detection and drug discovery, and with Genetron’s equity
investment, active R&D plans in these areas are currently
underway.
“ImmuQuad is a pioneer in NGS-based immune profiling with
significant first mover advantage in China. Their R&D portfolio
in the field of hematologic cancer is highly complementary to
Genetron Health’s solid tumor focused diagnostics portfolio,” said
Sizhen Wang, co-founder and CEO of Genetron Health. “This licensing
agreement accelerates our R&D expertise in the field of MRD
testing for hematologic cancers and strengthens our comprehensive
diagnostics offering. ImmuQuad’s MRD data is encouraging and we
plan to advance the validation in larger cohort studies in multiple
hematologic cancer types. We are also excited about ImmuQuad’s
promising technology platform, which represents significant market
potential. With our equity investment, we plan on working together
to advance their immune profiling platform and broadening
commercial opportunities in drug discovery in China and other key
markets.”
Note:
- Global Health Data Exchange,
http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool
About Genetron Holdings LimitedGenetron Holdings Limited
(“Genetron Health” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: GTH) is a leading
precision oncology platform company in China that specializes in
cancer molecular profiling and harnesses advanced technologies in
molecular biology and data science to transform cancer treatment.
The Company has developed a comprehensive oncology portfolio that
covers the entire spectrum of cancer management, addressing needs
and challenges from early screening, diagnosis and treatment
recommendations, as well as continuous disease monitoring and care.
Genetron Health also partners with global biopharmaceutical
companies and offers customized services and products. For more
information, please visit ir.genetronhealth.com.
About Hangzhou ImmuQuad Biotechnologies Co., Ltd
(ImmuQuad)Located in Hangzhou, China, ImmuQuad focuses on decoding
the adaptive immune system to renovate the diagnosis and treatment
of diseases. Its self-developed immune profiling platform can
reveal and translate the genetic code of the adaptive immune system
and can be applied to the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of
immune-mediated diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, and
infectious diseases. ImmuQuad will continue to decode the adaptive
immune system and transform its understandings into new products
with high-precision and high-efficiency to improve the quality of
patients' medical treatment.
Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including
statements regarding the potential benefits and research &
development plans under the licensing agreement with ImmuQuad.
These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the
U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements
that are not historical facts, including statements about the
Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and
uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results
to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be
identified by words or phrases such as “may”, “will,” “expect,”
“anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,”
“believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other
similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other
risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s
filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press
release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company
does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as
required under applicable law.
Investor Relations ContactUS:Hoki LukHead of
Investor RelationsEmail: hoki.luk@genetronhealth.comPhone: +1 (408)
891-9255
Stephanie CarringtonWestwicke, an ICR CompanyEmail:
Stephanie.Carrington@westwicke.comOffice: +1 (646) 277-1282
Asia:Bill ZimaICR, Inc.Email:
bill.zima@icrinc.comir@genetronhealth.com
Media Relations ContactEdmond
LococoICREdmond.Lococo@icrinc.comMobile: +86
138-1079-1408pr@genetronhealth.com
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