Leica Microsystems, CMED Collaborate

In vitro diagnostic company China Medical Technologies Inc. (CMED) of Beijing and Leica Biosystems, a division of !%Leica Microsystems%! based in Wetzlar, Germany, have established a sales, research and development collaboration to develop and market fluorescence in situ hybridization kits for the Leica Bond system, an automated staining platform. The companies will develop automated solutions for tissue sample tests on HER-2, EGFR and TOP2A genes, which play a role in targeted drug therapy for breast, lung and stomach cancer patients. CMED will sell the kits in China, while Leica will have the option to sell them throughout the rest of the world.