Teiko has entered into a collaboration with University of Utah Health and the Huntsman Cancer Institute to develop immune profiling tests, beginning with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). The initiative marks the start of a broader collaboration to develop diagnostic solutions across multiple disease areas, with University of Utah Health Innovations also becoming an investor in Teiko.

AML is an aggressive blood cancer, and Measurable Residual Disease (MRD) after treatment is associated with poorer outcomes. Patients with detectable MRD have an approximate five-year overall survival rate of 34 percent, compared with 68 percent among those without detectable MRD.

Multiparameter flow cytometry is used in more than 60 percent of AML MRD assessments. The method must identify leukaemic cells present at frequencies as low as 0.01–0.1 percent of total cells. Guidelines recommend acquiring at least 500,000–1,000,000 CD45-positive events, with adequate cell viability, to achieve this level of detection.

However, the accuracy of testing depends heavily on sample quality. Under current workflows, bone marrow samples generally need to be processed within 24–72 hours of collection, as storage and transit can affect sample quality. These requirements limit access to high-quality MRD testing, particularly for patients treated at community and rural healthcare facilities that lack specialised laboratory infrastructure.

Teiko said initial testing of its sample stabilisation kit showed that bone marrow samples could be stabilised at the point of collection, extending the processing window from 72 hours to 90 days. This could enable community hospitals to ship samples to central laboratories for testing and support biobanking.

Through the collaboration, Teiko and the University of Utah will develop a high-parameter spectral flow cytometry panel for bone marrow samples to measure disease burden before and after treatment. The initiative aims to address sample-handling challenges and support broader access to MRD testing.

AML is the first disease area covered by the collaboration. The partners plan to extend their work to other conditions where sample stabilisation and high-resolution immune profiling could support precision diagnostics.