Source: GenomeWeb

Cerba Research and ACT Genomics said on Tuesday that they have formed a joint venture to provide clinical trial services to clients throughout Asia Pacific through a new laboratory facility in Taiwan.

Ongoing construction, technology transfers, and expansion of the scientific team are expected to enable the facility, called CerbACT Asia Laboratory and located in Taipei, to become operational in September.

Services to be provided by the new lab include flow cytometry, in vitro diagnostic histopathology, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell isolation from blood and soft tissues.

"We will support our customers with the latest instrumentation and automation — backed by experienced scientists whose ambition and agility to meet patients’ needs drive our continuous evolution as a company," Mario Papillon, CEO of Cerba Research, a clinical trial service provider owned by Cerba HealthCare, said in a statement.

"Together, we offer a broader range of top-notch technologies and services in Asia," said Hua Chien Chen, CEO of ACT Genomics. "The formation of CerbACT Asia echoes our firm dedication in the well-being of cancer patients, keen commitment to society, and unequivocal embrace of precision medicine."

ACT Genomics, headquartered in Taiwan, provides cancer treatment planning, immunotherapy evaluation, cancer relapse and drug resistance monitoring, and cancer risk assessment services based on next-generation sequencing assays and bioinformatics analysis. Last month, the company acquired UK-based diagnostics firm MC Diagnostics.