Frost & Sullivan Recognizes BioMarker Strategies for its Ground-Breaking Innovation in Solid Tumor Diagnostics

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the cancer diagnostics market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes BioMarker Strategies LLC with the 2013 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation Leadership. BioMarker Strategies has pioneered the development and validation of SnapPath®, a novel platform for live tumor cell processing and testing. This rapid, robust and automated system generates purified live solid tumor cell populations from unfixed, fresh solid tumor samples. The live tumor cells obtained are then exposed to targeted cancer drugs in order to evaluate their response to different therapies.

In addition, SnapPath-processed samples can be subjected to next-generation sequencing. This boosts the potential for personalized medicine through the availability of highly valuable information about individual cancer patients and their reactions to targeted therapeutics. SnapPath can also be used to automate assays of cellular function using fluorescent molecular probes.

"Our research shows that this system is superior to most competitive platforms because it standardizes the processing of fresh tumor samples to enable improved downstream analysis of DNA, RNA and protein biomarkers," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Cecilia Van Cauwenberghe. "Traditional methods rely primarily on the testing of dead, formalin-fixed samples that make it difficult to estimate individual patients' response to drug therapy."

The SnapPath® diagnostics system enables the generation of PathMap™ functional signaling profiles, a new class of highly predictive algorithm-based tests that compare stimulated or inhibited patient samples to non-stimulated basal samples. PathMap profiles capture unique functional information about the dynamic behavior of tumor cells, particularly their signaling pathways, which cannot be obtained by static biomarker analysis based on gene mutations in dead, fixed samples.

The BioMarker Strategies SnapPath platform is compatible with multiple solid tumor sample types and the system ensures the health of the live tumor cells, allowing them to interact with stimulants and suppressors to generate functional information.

"This represents a milestone in cancer research, offering opportunities for the development of new drugs, predictive diagnostics, and research services," stated Van Cauwenberghe. "The utilization of these technologies may ultimately lead to a paradigm shift in investigational design as well as data management and processing."

The most promising application of SnapPath is in preclinical and early clinical drug studies to screen, measure and validate the efficacy of new drug candidates. Equally important is its significance in assessing pharmacodynamic responses to investigational drugs.

Moreover, SnapPath can be employed to develop a predictive test in late-stage clinical trials, enabling stratification of patients according to their clinical response. Such an approach will help clinicians better select the appropriate targeted therapy or combination of therapies for patients.

"Committed to accelerating the clinical translation of this technology to the industry, BioMarker Strategies is looking for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical partners that work with xenograft or tumorgraft models," added Van Cauwenberghe. "Such partnerships would not only strengthen the position of BioMarker Strategies as a leading innovating company in life sciences, but also constitute a key driver for clinical validation."

In recognition of these achievements, Frost & Sullivan presents the 2013 Technology Innovation Leadership Award in Cancer Diagnostics to BioMarker Strategies. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing a technology that significantly impacts both the functionality and the customer value of new products and applications. The award lauds the relevance of the innovation to the industry.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About BioMarker Strategies

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, BioMarker Strategies is a tissue-based cancer diagnostics company committed to providing its customers with novel solutions for cancer research. BioMarker Strategies has developed SnapPath®, a live tumor cell testing platform capable of evaluating live cell behavior under stimulant/suppressive conditions with the aim of achieving an in-depth understanding of human cancer biology.

The company's proprietary technology platform, developed with the support of the National Cancer Institute, enables the development of ex vivo, next-generation predictive tests based on the activation of cell-signaling pathways. Frost & Sullivan research clearly shows that the obtained patterns (PathMap profiles) will enable significant improvements in targeted drug treatment selection and therapeutic combinations.

Frost & Sullivan strongly recognizes the valuable contribution of BioMarker Strategies in shaping future medicine by enabling a more profound understanding of the human biology of live tumor cells and their response to different stimuli and perturbations. The company has demonstrated outstanding innovation capacity and leadership. In recognition of the company's achievements, Frost & Sullivan presents the 2013 Technology Innovation Leadership Award in Cancer Diagnostics to BioMarker Strategies LLC (BioMarker Strategies).

For more information, please contact:

Jerry Parrott, BioMarker Strategies
301-917-9005
[email protected]

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SOURCE Frost & Sullivan