 that makes the CELLSEARCH® circulating tumor cell (CTC) test available for researchers conducting clinical trials in China.  This marks the first clinical reference laboratory in China that offers CTC testing and comes on the heels of China's State Food & Drug Administration approval of CELLSEARCH® as an in vitro diagnostic to manage patients with metastatic breast cancer. 

Under this agreement, LabCorp's Beijing central laboratory will offer CTC testing on the CELLSEARCH® platform to customers conducting clinical trials in China.  Drug developers use CTCs in their development programs to perform "liquid biopsies" and assess the number and nature of CTCs in study participants' blood streams.  An increase or decrease in the number of CTCs can be an early and strong indicator of a drug's efficacy.  The highly sensitive CELLSEARCH® test can identify as few as one CTC in a tube of blood, offering researchers a powerful tool in developing new therapeutic options.

"The value of CTCs as an oncology biomarker is well documented in peer-reviewed literature," commented Robert McCormack , Ph.D. and Head of Technology Innovation at Veridex.  "As the number of clinical trials in China continues to rise, drug companies conducting trials there now have another compelling reason to incorporate CTCs into their protocols.  Local testing will provide faster results for clinical trial investigators."

About Circulating Tumor Cells
 Circulating tumor cells are cancer cells that have detached from the tumor and are found at extremely low levels in the bloodstream. The potential clinical benefit of capturing and counting CTCs is being investigated as more research data is gathered about the potential utility of these markers in monitoring disease progression and potentially guiding personalized cancer therapy.

LabCorp Cancer Stem Cell Agent Companion Diagnostic Agreement