CollabRx, a provider of cloud-based expert systems to inform health care decision-making, has formed a multi-year partnership agreement with Life Technologies, global biotechnology tools company for development and commercialization of CollabRx technology and content resources to be used in conjunction with Life Technologies' global cancer diagnostics development and its laboratory developed test services business.

The agreement represents a major step forward by CollabRx in providing laboratories and next-generation sequencing (NGS) companies with meaningful insights into cancer.

"Molecular analysis, including genetic sequencing, is increasingly becoming an important part of the clinical management of cancer patients," said James Karis, co-CEO of CollabRx. "However, the sheer volume and complexity of genetic data that is being produced, particularly in the course of therapy development, is outpacing the ability of practicing physicians to stay current, and more importantly understand how to apply this genetic data in treating their patients."

CollabRx bridges this knowledge gap using cloud-based expert systems to inform healthcare decision-making by aggregating and contextualizing the world's knowledge on molecular medicine with specific insights from the nation's top clinical experts.

Life Technologies will use CollabRx proprietary content and technology to pair the results of broad molecular profiling panels developed by Life Technologies with associated clinically relevant and dynamically updated knowledge on clinical trials, drugs, biologics and other information relevant for cancer treatment planning. This knowledge is supported by CollabRx's large and growing network of over 50 leading clinical practitioners in the U.S. While CollabRx and its advisors do not provide specific treatment recommendations, this clinically relevant knowledge is a key part of the "context engine" for informing healthcare decision-making.

"It's critical to contextualize the results of complex cancer panels to make them useful for interpreting and treating physicians," said Ronnie Andrews, president of medical sciences at Life Technologies. "CollabRx has pioneered the development of a scalable platform and process to provide actionable, accessible and credible knowledge at the point of care to aid physicians in developing a cancer treatment plan based on tumor molecular profiles.”