Life Technologies, CollabRx forge molecular Dx data deal

Life Technologies ($LIFE) just sealed a multi-year deal with CollabRx ($CLRX) intended to supercharge the value of its molecular diagnostics tests with lots of data.

As is typical with these kinds of things, neither side is disclosing financial terms. But this will be an interesting partnership to watch. CollabRx focuses on cloud-based systems that help aggregate and organizing global genomics/molecular medicine data. They've disclosed that the deal calls for the two to jointly develop products that blend the CollabRx information with Life Technologies' cancer diagnostics now under development, as well as its laboratory developed test services business.

Translated: This will help Life Technologies enhance its focus on companion diagnostics, adding another level of sophistication to the ever-expanding idea of what personalized medicine entails. The CollabRx content and tech should help the company pair molecular diagnostics tests with the best information on everything from clinical trials to drug treatments, with the idea that the combined data and technology can help clinicians develop the ideal plan to beat back a patient's cancer. In other words, the CollaboRx data will make it easier to put molecular diagnostics tests results in the proper context.

"It is critical to contextualize the results of complex cancer panels to make them useful for interpreting and treating physicians," Ronnie Andrews, president of medical sciences at Life Technologies, said in a statement. "CollabRx has pioneered the development of a scalable platform and process to provide actionable, accessible, and credible knowledge at the point of care to aid physicians in developing a cancer treatment plan based on tumor molecular profiles. We are excited to include this key capability with our molecular diagnostic tests."

Molecular diagnostics isn't Life Technologies' only game in town. The company develops products in a number of areas including animal health, agricultural biotechnology, forensics and food safety. But it has made molecular medicine and diagnostics a significant part of its business plan. Just last month, for example, Life Technologies signed a new deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) to develop a number of new companion diagnostics. And the company also snatched up Navigenics in July in a bid to expand its cancer diagnostics business.

- read the release

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