Life Technologies acquired Pinpoint Genomics and its early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer test. The test is designed to identify early-stage patients at high risk for progression to late-stage disease.
The test was developed in Pinpoint’s CLIA-certified environment and validated through two independent, blinded retrospective studies involving approximately 1,500 patients. Using FFPE tumor specimens, this quantitative PCR lab-developed test measures expression of a 14-gene panel.
Life Technologies possesses a range of platforms that can be leveraged in the development of new diagnostics, including next-generation sequencing, Sanger sequencing, qPCR, and proteomics. The company says it’s working to drive the development of diagnostic content across multiple platforms.
“We see an opportunity in lung cancer to change the treatment paradigm with more effective diagnostics,” says Gregory T. Lucier, chairman and CEO of Life Technologies. “As Life Technologies moves further into the diagnostics space, we will focus on tests that have strong clinical utility where there is a large unmet need.”
This acquisition represents another step in the firm’s strategy to develop its diagnostic business through internal development, partnerships, and select acquisitions. The company expects the combination of the Pinpoint transaction and recent acquisition of Navigenics to be $0.02 dilutive to Life Tech’s earnings in 2012, $0.05 dilutive in 2013, and accretive thereafter.
