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9:05 am, February 9, 2010
DxS acquires licence for cancer treatment aid

By Claire Shoesmith

DxS, the Manchester-based drug diagnostic firm that was last year taken over by Dutch firm Qiagen, has acquired an exclusive licence to develop a treatment aid for cancer.

The licence, acquired from Johns Hopkins University, will enable DxS to develop genetic tests capable of assessing the effectiveness of certain treatments for patients with lung, breast, colorectal and other cancers.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“This license agreement is another step forward for Qiagen and for the use of novel therapeutics,” Peer M. Schatz, chief executive of Qiagen said in an emailed statement.

“We are looking forward to developing drug-diagnostic combinations together with pharmaceutical partners for the selection of the right patient for the right medicine. This concept allows cancer patients to receive better treatments and can support healthcare systems to provide the most useful therapies in cost effective ways.”

Qiagen yesterday revealed better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and predicted continued growth this year as more doctors use its testing kits to aid cancer diagnosis.

Net income rose 32 per cent to $57.6m, while sales were up 22 per cent to $289.1m.

DxS employs about 100 people at its offices in Manchester Science Park.

Comments?cshoesmith@crain.com