Sequenta Enters Agreement with Illumina on In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Kit for Sequencing-Based Minimal Residual Disease Testing

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. NOVEMBER 17, 2014 – Sequenta, Inc., a biotechnology company developing clinical diagnostics based on immune cell receptor genes, today announced that the company has entered into an agreement with Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN). The purpose of the agreement is to commercialize an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) kit that will enable clinical laboratories to utilize Sequenta’s next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based minimal residual disease (MRD) detection and quantification technology.

The company also announced that Illumina participated in Sequenta’s recent Series D funding round.

“It is exciting to see how Illumina is enabling new diagnostic tests that may improve patient care,” said Nicholas J. Naclerio, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Corporate and Venture Development, and General Manager, Enterprise Informatics, Illumina. “This partnership is consistent with our strategy to support third party IVD products on our sequencing platform.”

MRD refers to the small numbers of cancer cells that remain in a patient’s body during or after treatment that can be reliably detected only by using sensitive molecular technologies. Testing for MRD can help determine whether cancer treatment has been successful, provide important information about patient prognosis and help guide additional treatment decisions.

“Partnering with Illumina to develop an IVD kit will ultimately enable more doctors to use the prognostic power of Sequenta’s MRD detection and quantification technology in caring for their patients,” said Tom Willis, CEO of Sequenta. “The availability of an IVD kit that has gone through FDA review will solidify Sequenta’s position as the diagnostic partner of choice for pharmaceutical and life science companies incorporating MRD measurement into clinical trials of blood cancer medicines.”

About Sequenta
Sequenta is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving patient care in diseases mediated by immune cells through the discovery and development of novel clinical diagnostics. The company, located in South San Francisco, was founded in 2008 and has received venture funding from Mohr Davidow Ventures, Index Ventures and Foresite Capital. For more information, please visit sequenta.com.

SOURCE: Sequenta