PPD's PDL biomarker deal points to wider trend
which the contract research organisation is to perform
comprehensive molecular profiling to discover biomarkers.
Biomarkers are components of bodily fluids or tissues that are indicative of the presence of disease, its progression or the response to therapeutic intervention.
The discovery and molecular identification of biomarkers assist biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in compound selection, dose optimisation, patient stratification, and efficacy and safety monitoring.
>PPD seem to have made significant waves in the biomarker discovery sector, having risen to become first choice for many pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
The deal has come in quick succession to the agreement made in Dec 2005 with FALCO in which PPD will investigate the role of biomarkers associated with renal cell carcinoma.
Under the terms of this latest agreement, the PPD's biomarker discovery sciences group will examine specified sample sets using DeepLook analysis, its platform for mass spectrometry-based discovery of biomarkers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"Identification and implementation of biomarkers can accelerate clinical trials by improving diagnosis, patient selection, and monitoring of disease progression and therapeutic response," said Howard Schulman, vice president of PPD's biomarker discovery sciences.
"We look forward to working with PDL BioPharma to develop biomarkers for its clinical development programs," he added.
PPD's agreement with pharmaceutical giants Merck in June 2005 to again identify candidate biological markers was perhaps the first signs of the way such services would be carried out in the future.
A December 2004 study by Life Science Insights found that industry investment in biomarkers had increased 200 per cent over the past several years.
This is primarily driven by technology improvements, pressure on industry to accelerate drug discovery growth, and FDA plans to push biomarker discovery efforts through its Critical Path Initiative.
Industry analysts, Frost and Sullivan, reckon that companies with the most invested in biomarkers-at least in terms of patents held-include Novartis, Hoffman-La Roche, Pfizer, SurroMed, Bayer, and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Most of these companies have fully integrated biomarker strategies from discovery through phase IV development.
The lion's share of their investment is aimed at oncology, which represents 30 per cent of the biomarker discovery market, trailed by cardiology at 25 per cent and neurology at 20 per cent.
