Ventana to partner with Incyte on the development of Companion Diagnostic tests

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. (Ventana), a member of the Roche Group, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Incyte Corporation to collaborate on the development of companion diagnostic tests for Incyte's oncology drug programs, beginning with the Incyte IDO1 inhibitor program.  As part of the agreement, Ventana will support Incyte's personalized medicine healthcare strategies for cancer drug development using its vast expertise in companion diagnostics, immunohistochemistry technology platforms, and worldwide customer support network.

Companion Diagnostics, meaning tests paired with drug therapies, help physicians identify those patients with specific biomarkers who may respond to certain types of targeted drug treatment.  Incorporating a companion diagnostic strategy into a drug development program may expedite the approval process and help generate better drugs with improved safety profiles for patients.

"With the advancement of INCB24360 into multiple Phase 2 studies, our first-in-class IDO1 inhibitor program was a logical place to begin to incorporate potential companion diagnostics.  We chose to partner with Ventana based on their strong scientific knowledge and development expertise in this area," stated Victor Sandor, MD, CM, Incyte's Group Vice President, Clinical Development.

"We are pleased that Incyte shares our passion of enabling personalized medicine for cancer patients worldwide and look forward to pursuing many successful drug development programs together," says Mara G. Aspinall, President, Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

In addition to Incyte, Ventana has worked with more than 45 biopharmaceutical partners over the past decade and is currently engaged in more than 150 collaborative projects to develop and commercialize companion diagnostics globally.

About Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.

Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. ("VMSI") (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), a member of the Roche Group, innovates and manufactures instruments and reagents that automate tissue processing and slide staining for cancer diagnostics. VENTANA products are used in clinical histology and drug development research laboratories worldwide. The company's intuitive, integrated staining, workflow management platforms, and digital pathology solutions optimize laboratory efficiencies to reduce errors, support diagnosis and inform treatment decisions for anatomic pathology professionals. Together with Roche, VMSI is driving Personalized Healthcare through accelerated drug discovery and the development of "companion diagnostics" to identify the patients most likely to respond favorably to specific therapies. Visit http://ventana.com/ to learn more.

VENTANA and the VENTANA logo are trademarks of Roche.

VMSI Media Relations
Jacqueline Bucher
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
Phone: 520-877-7288
e-mail: Jacquie Bucher

SOURCE Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.