GE Healthcare has announced an agreement between its affiliate, Clarient Diagnostic Services (Clarient) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The collaboration aims to improve access to diagnostic testing for cancer patients by establishing a network of clinical laboratories to identify genetic mutations associated with different tumour types. This will help GE develop a broader laboratory and data analytics service that will enable better efficiency in the healthcare market related to oncology precision medicine. This will be made available as a subscription-based service and will be operated by GE Healthcare.

"Our arrangement with GSK will enable us to leverage our clinical, technical and quality management expertise to credential laboratory partners worldwide. This global network of high quality diagnostic capability can be leveraged with confidence by all pharmaceutical companies in search of rigorously standardized oncology diagnostic services and data," said Ms Cindy Collins, CEO, Clarient.

Under the terms of the agreement GE Healthcare, through its Clarient affiliate, will initially use its clinical laboratory, pathology, and genomics expertise, to certify laboratories and generate diagnostic data on metastatic melanoma patients.

"Through this agreement, we hope to better address the variability in access and quality of diagnostic testing which is a common problem seen with targeted oncology therapies and related companion diagnostics globally" said Mr Jonathan Pan, head of Oncology Companion Diagnostics and Disease Strategy, GSK. He added, "The commercial testing infrastructure created through this collaboration will enable advanced diagnostic solutions that should improve how patient care is delivered, where the certified laboratories are operational."