Allegro Diagnostics has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Boston University and the University of Utah Foundation for intellectual property related to the company's molecular testing platform. The platform uses gene expression of normal epithelial cells in the respiratory tract to detect early signs of lung cancer. Financial terms of the agreement are undisclosed.
The "field of injury" principle upon which the platform is based refers to a common molecular response that occurs in the respiratory tract in current and former smokers with lung cancer. These changes can be detected in a gene expression signature from non-malignant airway cells and indicate the presence of malignancy remotely in the lung.
Allegro has applied this platform to generate multiple product candidates, and the BronchoGen genomic test, which will be the company's first commercially available product, has the potential to be incorporated into standard bronchoscopy procedures and help provide a more rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Maynard, MA-based Allegro recently tapped Michael Webb as its president and CEO.
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