QIAGEN and Inovio Collaborate to Develop Companion Diagnostic for Novel Immunotherapy Targeting Precancerous Cervical Lesions

QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE:QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard:QIA) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:INO) today announced a collaboration to co-develop a companion diagnostic to guide clinical decision-making for the use of Inovio’s DNA-based immunotherapy to treat cervical dysplasia caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). The Precision Medicine partnership focuses on Inovio’s VGX-3100, a late-stage investigational product candidate with potential to become the first treatment for HPV infection of the cervix and the first non-surgical treatment for precancerous cervical lesions associated with the virus.

“We are pleased to support Inovio by developing a liquid biopsy-based companion diagnostic to identify patients who would benefit from VGX-3100, which has potential to make a dramatic difference in the detection of HPV infections and treatment of precancerous disease. Our Sample to Insight workflows and experience in developing diagnostic solutions for Precision Medicine in immuno-oncology are well-suited to help Inovio address this large unmet medical need,” said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN. “Our team has deep experience in HPV-related molecular testing and cervical cancer and is looking forward to applying this expertise in partnership with Inovio, This project is also a case study of a collaboration that started in the discovery phase, when Inovio selected QIAGEN Genomic Services to work on the discovery of novel biomarkers that now contribute to the power of this unique molecular assay. The project progressed into development and Inovio now aims to make regulatory submissions for VGX-3100 in 2021.”

Dr. J. Joseph Kim, Inovio’s President & CEO, said, “As we advance our Synthetic Nucleics platform we are always looking for ways to drive innovation within our own technology or via a creative partner like QIAGEN. QIAGEN is bringing their extensive track record of commercially developing and marketing novel diagnostic tests to this important collaboration. Inovio is developing VGX-3100 as a non-surgical treatment for women with cervical pre-cancer and pre-treatment biomarkers we have discovered could provide a targeted way to identify patients most likely to respond to treatment with VGX-3100, increasing absolute efficacy of the product.”

Please find the full press release here.

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