Qiagen JAK2 V617 companion diagnostic

Qiagen has entered into a partnership with Eli Lilly and Company for the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of a molecular companion diagnostic for an early stage investigational compound currently being developed by Lilly.

Lilly’s proprietary compound, called a JAK2 inhibitor, targets the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) gene, which has been shown to play a role in myeloproliferative neoplasms, a variety of blood cancers that cause blood cells to grow abnormally.

Under the terms of the agreement, Qiagen will develop a companion diagnostic test that will provide both qualitative and quantitative results for JAK2 V617F. The assay is intended to identify patients most likely to benefit from treatment with inhibitors of the pathway. The scope of the partnership includes development and use of the Qiagen JAK2 assay during clinical trials and also covers manufacturing and joint commercialisation of the diagnostic product in parallel with the Lilly compound.

Qiagen gained exclusive access to the JAK2 biomarker through an agreement with Ipsogen, a French company that is a pioneer in profiling and biomarkers for leukaemia and other blood cancers.

The PCR-based companion diagnostic will run on Qiagen’s Rotor-Gene Q instrument. Qiagen also intends to seek regulatory approval for full automation of the workflow on the QIAsymphony RGQ, a novel modular sample-to-result automation platform.