Sequenom strikes liquid biopsy research deal with UC San Diego Moores

Daniel Grosu

Sequenom ($SQNM) has already made waves with its noninvasive prenatal diagnostic, revealing earlier this year that its technology could uncover signs of cancer in pregnant women. Now, the company is moving forward with its new liquid biopsy test, teaming up with the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center to use its tool to monitor cancer patients and match them with a suitable therapy. The partnership will be the first of many between Sequenom and leading cancer centers as it shoots to bring its test to market in 2016, the company said in a statement. The company's Sequenom Laboratories subsidiary has already tested more than 450,000 plasma samples with its noninvasive prenatal test, giving it "significant experience and know-how" in studying circulating cell-free DNA, said CMO Daniel Grosu. "We are uniquely positioned to leverage this expertise and move liquid biopsy from a research concept to routine clinical practice in oncology," Grosu said in a statement. Statement