NANTES, France—The French National Research Agency has awarded TcLand Expression SA $550,000 in research funding for a companion diagnostic program in rheumatoid arthritis. TcLand Expression is collaborating with research groups led by Professor Pierre Miossec at Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, France, and Professor Olivier Vittecoq and Dr. Thierry Lequerré at Rouen University Hospital to develop a blood-based diagnostic test to predict the response to biological agents in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to the research partners, RA, a severe chronic inflammatory disease, affects approximately 1 percent of the population worldwide.