BD, Quest Diagnostics Join Forces to Develop Companion Diagnostics for Cancer, Other Diseases

Collaboration on Flow Cytometry-Based Companion Diagnostics to Advance Personalized Health Care

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. and SECAUCUS, N.J., July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical technology company, and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leader in diagnostic information services, today announced a global collaboration agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize flow cytometry-based companion diagnostics (CDx) intended to help select the best treatment for patients with cancer and other diseases.

Together, BD and Quest will aim to provide the pharmaceutical industry with an end-to-end solution for CDx development. The joint offerings will range from exploratory panel development to the manufacturing and distribution of FDA-approved diagnostic kits.

"BD has been at the forefront of flow cytometry innovation for a half-century, consistently leading advancements in this critical field," said Steve Conly, worldwide president of Biosciences at BD. "Our collaboration with Quest underscores a shared commitment to advance personalized medicine by leveraging this technology in the development of companion diagnostics to be used alongside therapeutic options for patients."

Using companion diagnostics to help select a first-line therapy for cancer patients can be critical to ensuring the best outcomes and cost savings. Today's companion diagnostic tests commonly involve technologies such as immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next-generation sequencing (NGS) and imaging. Flow cytometry, an established laboratory technology now being applied in the development of companion diagnostics, can rapidly analyze and sort individual cells to enable health care providers to understand an individual's immune response and could provide insight as to how best to manage the patient to improve clinical outcomes.

"This strategic collaboration with BD will combine our expertise in developing and validating biomarkers and assays with BD's leadership in flow cytometry to offer a fully integrated solution on a larger scale," said William Finger, vice president and general manager, Pharma Services for Quest Diagnostics. "Together, we can bring novel companion diagnostics to market that will enable more precise health care, to potentially improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs."

Through its BioPharma services business, Quest Diagnostics offers end-to-end solutions for drug development, including clinical trial lab testing, companion diagnostic development, commercialization, and post-launch surveillance. For more information, visit pharma.questdiagnostics.com.

About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its more than 70,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/, X (formerly Twitter) @BDandCo or Instagram @becton_dickinson. 

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics works across the healthcare ecosystem to create a healthier world, one life at a time. We provide diagnostic insights from the results of our laboratory testing to empower people, physicians and organizations to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from one of the world's largest databases of de-identifiable clinical lab results, Quest's diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve healthcare management. Quest Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our nearly 50,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives and create a healthier world. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)