Definiens said today its web-based collaboration software platform will be used by Merck KGaA to support its exploratory and clinical development programs, through a digital pathology collaboration whose value was not disclosed.

Merck’s healthcare business sector will use Definiens’ TissuePhenomics solutions for quantification of biomarkers, including immuno-profiling. The technology is designed to quantify morphology and expression patterns in the entire tumor tissue and environment accurately and in deep detail to better understand disease biology.

The collaboration, Definiens said, will enable Merck to upload, access, explore and share tissue diagnostics and biomarker data.

Definiens said that it intends to support Merck in informing decisions concerning its immuno-oncology product development portfolio, by using a dedicated team to maximize synergies between Merck’s projects.

“This partnership agreement is a testament to Definiens ability to transform tissue image data into valuable insights using our proprietary data mining methods for biomarker discovery,” Oliver Lehner, Definiens VP, business development and partnering, said in a statement.

Definiens provides image analysis and data mining solutions for tissue diagnostics and clinical digital pathology. The company’s technology provides detailed cell-by-cell readouts from target structures on tissue slides and allows the correlation of that information with data derived from other sources.

Definiens was founded in 1994, and acquired by AstraZeneca’s MedImmune subsidiary in 2014 for $150 million plus undisclosed additional milestone payments.

 

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