XDx and LabCorp Enter Into Collaboration and License Agreement to Develop Lupus Flare Predictor Test

XDx, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (LabCorp) LH whereby each party will collaborate in marker discovery, and LabCorp will develop and commercialize a diagnostic test to predict flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The agreement combines XDx's autoimmune diagnostics research and discovery experience and SLE blood sample database with LabCorp's diagnostic development and commercialization resources. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. SLE, also known as lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting over 1.5 million people in the U.S., according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Lupus disease flares are periods of increased disease activity. The major challenge for physicians managing patients with lupus is to treat this active phase without allowing the treatment itself to cause long-term damage. Treatment for active lupus differs, depending on the organ systems involved and disease severity. Current treatment often includes a combination of drugs.