Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and IncellDx said recently that they have partnered to promote in Europe four newly developed cancer assays that incorporate technology from each company.

The flow cytometry-based assays were developed by Menlo Park, California-based IncellDx to run on Beckman Coulter instrumentation including its CytoFlex systems. They are designed to perform single-cell analysis for lung and bladder cancers, as well as human papilloma virus-related cancers of the head, neck, and cervix. The kits pair the single-cell functionality of flow cytometry with molecular analysis to get information on mRNA and protein expression as well as cell cycle and/or proliferation, the firms said.

Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"In cancer research it is essential to carry out quantification at the single cell level," IncellDx Founder and CEO Bruce Patterson said in a statement. "Adding our single cell, simultaneous protein, mRNA, and cell cycle/DNA content assays to the exceptional technology behind Beckman Coulter Life Sciences flow cytometry instruments will open up a new era in understanding cancer biology."