The Business Development team collaborates with case managers in the Corporate Sponsored Research & Licensing department within Research Ventures & Licensing (RVL) to market available technologies to potential licensees. Two successful industry licensing partnerships conducted within the last year were for the technologies of "EGFR Mutation Analysis" from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the "sCD40L as a Marker for Cardiovascular Disease" from Brigham & Women's Hospital (BWH). See below for additional information regarding these highly innovative technologies which bring much promise to advancing health care.

EGFR Mutation Analysis —
licensed to Genzyme Corporation (MGH 2568)

In April 2004, investigators at MGH and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) reported the discovery of a diagnostic test for identifying patients likely to respond to certain treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The MGH team was led by Drs. Daniel Haber and Thomas Lynch of the MGH Cancer Center. The investigators found that mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in tumors correlate with clinical response to certain drugs, including Iressa® (AstraZeneca) and Tarceva® (Genentech/OSI Pharmaceuticals).

The Genzyme assay combines PCR and gene sequencing testing technologies for detection of somatic mutations in NSCLC tumor tissue. Analysis is performed in Genzyme Genetics’ CLIA-certified laboratory in Westborough, MA.

sCD40L as a Marker for Cardiovascular Disease —
licensed to Roche Diagnostics (BWH768)

Dr. Peter Libby and colleagues in the BWH Department of Cardiovascular Medicine discovered that high plasma concentrations of soluble CD40L (sCD40L) in healthy, non-smoking individuals may be a predictive marker for cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke. The presence of the sCD40L marker is independent of other diagnostic markers of cardiovascular disease such as systemic inflammation, total cholesterol, and LDL/HDL ratios, as well as hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and family history.