Matrix-Bio signs metabolomics biomarker licensing agreement with Quest Diagnostics for development of breast cancer recurrence test

FORT WAYNE and WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Matrix-Bio Inc., a diagnostics company that uses metabolite profiling to detect cancer and other diseases, has signed an exclusive global licensing and marketing agreement for metabolomic biomarkers with Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX).

Quest is the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services. Under the agreement, Quest will have the rights to use the biomarkers for the future potential development of a clinical laboratory-developed test to aid in the detection of breast cancer recurrence. The company plans to independently develop and validate the laboratory-developed test from its Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., where it houses a research, development and laboratory center.

The company will co-fund clinical studies with Matrix-Bio to demonstrate the clinical value of the test using the metabolomic biomarkers and, assuming successful validation, offer its own version of the test through the San Juan Capistrano laboratory and market the testing service in the United States and other countries. Quest Diagnostics also has the option to pursue an appropriate regulatory pathway for an in vitro diagnostic version of the test. Additional terms were not disclosed.

Matrix-Bio has developed a technique that uses mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify metabolic changes occurring in cancerous cells. In 2010 Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Association of Cancer Research, published Matrix-Bio's findings, Early Detection of Recurrent Breast Cancer Using Metabolite Profiling. Using metabolite-profiling methods, Matrix-Bio's laboratory-developed test correctly predicted a recurrence of breast cancer an average of 13 months before clinical diagnosis and two times the sensitivity of the current standard tests involving immunoassays.

"Our relationship with Matrix-Bio builds on Quest's leadership in oncology and mass spectrometry and moves us forward in the emerging field of metabolomic clinical diagnostics," said Jay Wohlgemuth, M.D., Quest's senior vice president, science and innovation. "It also delivers on a central tenet of our strategy to deliver a robust menu of services, in this case for breast cancer, which spans the continuum of care, from predisposition genetic testing to post-surgical monitoring."

Commenting on the agreement, Matrix-Bio founder and chief scientific officer Dan Raftery, Ph.D., said collaboration with a company of the stature of Quest Diagnostics could advance the potential commercialization of a novel breast cancer recurrence test.

"Since 2006 when we first started working on metabolite profiling as a cancer detection tool, we have had the ideal partner in mind to help bring this potentially life-saving technology to those at risk of cancer," Raftery said. "Licensing the biomarkers to Quest Diagnostics is a big step toward our goal to make improved and more efficient testing methods for diagnosing many forms of cancer available to physicians and patients. Quest has the people, processes and presence to bring a clinically valuable breast cancer recurrence test to market and, with it, hope to breast cancer survivors who want more accurate cancer recurrence monitoring."

Matrix-Bio is developing additional biomarkers that may provide the basis for tests for other cancers utilizing its patent-pending VeraMarker™ metabolite profiling technology platform. Raftery founded Matrix-Bio while a professor of analytical and physical chemistry at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where he received entrepreneurial support from the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization.

Raftery is now a medical education and research endowed professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and director of the Northwest Metabolomics Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is also a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (http://www.fhcrc.org) in Seattle. Raftery's work is supported by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Defense.

About Matrix-Bio, Inc.

Founded in 2006, Matrix-Bio Inc. is a life-science company focused on the development and commercialization of advanced metabolite profiling-based blood tests for early cancer detection, recurrence detection and therapy monitoring that offer greater accuracy, convenience and lower cost than current testing methodologies. Matrix-Bio's patent-pending metabolite profiling technology has the potential to be leveraged to other applications for the early detection of disease and medical conditions. For information, visit http://www.matrix-bio.com.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at http://www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

Contacts:

Melanie Lux, Lux + Associates, 803-331-479, mlux@luxandassociates.com

Cynthia Sequin, Purdue Research Foundation, 765-588-3340, casequin@prf.org