Two biotech powerhouses joined forces in January 2024, when Delaware-based Incyte teamed up with Agilent, a leader in the field of companion diagnostic assays to detect biomarkers of disease, to support the development and commercialization of Incyte’s hematology and oncology therapies.
Incyte, founded in 2002, is a global drug discovery and development company focusing on oncology. In late 2011, they received their first FDA approval for a JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor to treat chronic inflammatory diseases and cancers. Agilent, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a global leader in life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemical markets. The company provides laboratories worldwide with instruments, services, consumables, applications and expertise.
Incyte’s research and development pipeline of targeted cancer therapies are designed to very selectively target the specific pathways that drive the disease of certain patients. Biomarkers help identify those patients that are matched with the targeted therapy. Detecting these biomarkers requires a specific diagnostic test, called a companion diagnostic, because it is a companion to the therapy used to test whether a patient has the biomarker that makes them a candidate for that therapy.
Incyte is partnering with Agilent to develop the companion diagnostic for select targeted therapy programs in their pipeline.
Jeff Jackson, group vice president of Translational Medicine at Incyte, says that “Agilent’s expertise in the development of companion diagnostics is impressive, as is their regulatory and commercialization record. We are excited about the collaboration and look forward to working together to innovate in support of patients.”
When Incyte scientists identify a biomarker to identify patients for a novel therapy, they share this knowledge with Agilent, which then develops and validates a diagnostic assay for that biomarker. Both companies then work in parallel to conduct clinical trials for the therapy and the diagnostic, with the goal of gaining regulatory approval at the same time.
This represents an innovation in how these technologies are being applied: identifying novel cancer vulnerabilities and drug targets paired with biomarkers to create new, tailored cancer therapies. Patients will benefit by knowing that, if they are positive for the biomarker, they are more likely to benefit from the therapy than from many alternative therapies.
The value of the companion diagnostics market is predicted to expand to nearly $14 billion by 2030, driven in part by the power of these tests to inform treatment decisions for a growing range of cancers and other chronic diseases. “Leveraging the power of companion diagnostics, we are strategically transforming the treatment paradigm for a broad spectrum of cancers,” says Paul Beresford, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Companion Diagnostics Division. “By working together, Agilent and Incyte hope to expedite the development of innovative precision medicine products, potentially paving the way for enhanced patient health outcomes.”
