Quanterix Corporation, a company specializing in ultrasensitive biomarker detection, has announced a research license agreement with Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). The agreement aims to enable research use availability of a Janssen proprietary assay for tau species containing phosphorylation at residues 217 and 212 (p217+ tau). Phosphorylated tau is a biomarker associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Janssen will grant Quanterix a non-exclusive worldwide license to perform research use only (RUO) assay testing services to its customers using the Janssen assay on the Simoa® platform. This research license agreement allows Quanterix to access Janssen’s antibodies to detect phosphorylated tau biomarker and Simoa-based assay, enabling clients to conduct clinical trial studies using the highly sensitive and accurate Simoa® plasma-based test for p217+ tau.

p217+ tau is emerging as a potential biomarker target for a blood-based test for Alzheimer’s disease. Published studies have shown that the presence of phosphorylated tau in plasma is predictive of central amyloid and tau status and has the potential for diagnosing and staging Alzheimer’s disease. Further studies will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands from July 16-20, 2023.

The use of blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s pathology detection has revolutionized the field, reducing reliance on expensive and invasive methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) and CSF biomarker analysis. Quanterix’s single molecule array technology, available on the HD-X fully automated instrument, addresses the challenge of detecting p217+ tau in vanishingly small concentrations in blood. This technology allows for reliable quantification and is now available globally through Quanterix’s Accelerator service laboratory.

To learn more about Quanterix’s Simoa® technology, you can visit their website at: https://www.quanterix.com/simoa-technology/