Foundation Medicine, a molecular information company based in Cambridge, Mass., has formed a multi-year collaboration with global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to identify alterations found in cancer-related tumor genes that may predict a person's response or resistance to targeted medicines.

Working with Foundation Medicine to reveal these genomic alterations may help AstraZeneca to research new medicines for people with cancer. Foundation Medicine was also granted right of first negotiation for the development of potential diagnostic products.

"Our scientific understanding of cancer and the pathways driving tumor growth enables us to focus on which people are most likely to respond to our medicines,” said Susan Galbraith, vice president and head of oncology innovative medicines unit, AstraZeneca. “This collaboration with Foundation Medicine will help us to identify tumor-specific defects and alterations that can be used for patient segmentation."

Michael J. Pellini, M.D., president and CEO, Foundation Medicine, said, “AstraZeneca has a strong commitment to understanding the patient-to-patient variations that may impact the efficacy of therapeutic candidates. We are helping companies like AstraZeneca achieve deeper insight into their programs and trials with our unique cancer expertise and our ability to provide genomic information that can impact clinical treatment decisions. Together, we expect to enable a more individualized, targeted approach to cancer drug development and clinical trials.”