Abbott has entered into a licensing agreement with the Advanced Life Science Institute (ALSI) for its Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (Pro-GRP), Abbott has announced.

ProGRP is a biomarker that can help clinicians diagnose and monitor small cell lung cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease. No diagnostic test is currently approved in the U.S. for testing serum for lung cancer, even though physicians commonly use such tests to confirm the presence of other diseases, Abbott said.

The agreement gives Abbott worldwide rights to commercialize products using ALSI's ProGRP material and technology. Scientific findings in Japan have already influenced how small cell lung cancer is diagnosed and developed by physicians, according to ALSI.