Immunicon, Pfizer Expand R&D Agreement

Immunicon Corp. has extended its R&D Agreement with Pfizer for the development of new reagents designed to detect certain undisclosed antigens on circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The collaboration began in February 2003 and is now amended to permit the parties to initiate new clinical research studies by adding new Appendices signed by both parties to the Agreement. A new Phase I trial has been added to the Agreement and will begin enrollment immediately.

Byron Hewett, president and chief executive officer for Immunicon said, “We are very pleased to expand our collaboration with Pfizer, one of the world’s premier pharmaceutical companies. As the developer of the instrument and reagents for rare cell detection, Immunicon offers pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies a unique advantage compared to reference labs and clinical research organizations. As is the case with Pfizer, Immunicon scientists work closely with our partners to develop assays and kits that are specifically paired with targeted treatments, and offer testing services to validate these assays in clinical trials with kits, reagents and instrument configurations that may not be commercially available. By working with Pfizer and other pharma/biotech companies as well as with the FDA, we hope to establish CTCs as a standard biomarker in oncology drug development.”