Dana-Farber Licenses Luciferase-Reporter Cancer Cell Lines to Molecular Imaging

Molecular Imaging entered into a licensing agreement with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to access a number of luciferase-enabled cancer cell lines developed at Dana-Farber. The company says that these rights expand its ability to apply bioluminescent imaging technology to an array of cancer disease models, including expanded capability in various leukemias, multiple myeloma, triple-negative breast cancer, glioma, and melanoma. 

"This licensing relationship gives Molecular Imaging access to over 100 additional luc-enabled cell lines, providing the ability to use imaging in a much broader array of cancer disease models, with greater confidence,” remarks W. R. Leopold, Ph.D., vp, R&D, at Molecular Imaging.

Molecular Imaging will collaborate with Andrew Kung, M.D., Ph.D., and Scott Armstrong, M.D., Ph.D., to further develop and make available these and other cell lines to improve the quantification and predictive power of bioluminescent imaging in cancer. Dr. Kung is director of the Lurie Family Imaging Center at Dana-Farber and an associate professor of pediatrics at Dana-Farber, Children's Hospital Boston, and the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Armstrong is an associate professor of pediatrics at Dana-Farber, Children's Hospital Boston, and Harvard Medical School as well as co-director of both the Cancer Program/Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center's Leukemia program. 

Dr. Kung, Dr. Armstrong, and Dana-Farber have reportedly been working to find the right collaboration to assure the industry has access to these cell lines. "A lot of our effort has gone into developing cell lines that will materially improve the effectiveness of research and development in a wide array of cancers,” says Dr. Kung. “We believe Molecular Imaging is an excellent partner to accomplish this goal. Their dedication to preclinical in vivo imaging and their expertise in this area is a perfect complement to the kinds of work being done here to enhance the application of imaging to critical problems in cancer drug discovery." 

Molecular Imaging expects to nearly triple its validated luc-reporter cell line library by the end of the first quarter in 2012. This expansion complements the incorporation of fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) into the company's imaging modalities; the firm will have a number of FMT imaging-validated disease models available by early 2012.

Molecular Imaging also offers MRI, micro-CT, micro-PET, bioluminescence, and 2-D fluorescence to provide the benefits of quantitative anatomical and functional imaging to nearly 100 customers. These platforms provide information at anatomical, functional, and molecular levels. The company also has a team of pharmacology experts for optimal integration between disease pharmacology and image-based biomarkers and end points.