Schlieren ZH/Abingdon – The British biotech company Immunocore will in future use the platform of the medtech company Oncobit, a spin-off of the University of Zurich. The tests on this platform are used to quantify specific cancer markers in clinical trials.
Schlieren-based Oncobit and the British biotech company Immunocore have signed a service agreement. According to a press release, this collaboration aims to improve the use and understanding of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis as a reliable real-time marker of treatment response in clinical trials.
The British company, which focuses on the development and provision of new immunomodulatory drugs and has had a branch in Risch-Rotkreuz ZG since 2022, will rely on the digital platform of the spin-off from the University of Zurich in future. According to the company, this represents a unique combination of digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and software.
PCR is a laboratory technique for the rapid production of millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA segment, which can then be examined more closely. According to the press release, Oncobit aims to optimize therapy management and change cancer care in a cost- and time-efficient manner by quantifying specific cancer markers in liquid biopsies.
"We look forward to working with Immunocore, a company that shares our vision of innovation in pioneering cancer treatment," Oncobit CEO Dr. Claudia Scheckel is quoted as saying. "We are proud to contribute to such studies to achieve our goal of improving patient outcomes with highly accurate and innovative cancer monitoring solutions." ce/mm