February 27, 2020 | February featured news, products, and partnerships from around the diagnostics community from numerous companies, universities, and organizations, including Thermo Fisher Scientific, NeuMoDx Molecular, Proscia, and more.
Thermo Fisher Scientific and NanoPin Technologies have entered into a collaborative relationship to advance blood-based infectious disease detection technology through the development of highly sensitive liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based workflows. Through the detection of disease-related antigens directly from patient blood samples, NanoPin’s unique diagnostic platform using Thermo Fisher’s advanced LC-MS technology will lead to the development of sensitive clinical assays for infectious disease. This will enable healthcare providers to reduce time to results, determine infection stage and monitor patient response to prescribed treatment. The quantified information gleaned from the combined technology will support clinical decision-making and the provision of personalized patient care unique to their disease state. “The current diagnostic solutions available for the detection and monitoring of infectious disease are not sufficient because they limit patient outcomes and the global management of such ailments,” Thomas Tombler, chief executive officer, NanoPin Technologies, said in a press release. “Through our agreement with Thermo Fisher, our unique diagnostic platform has the potential to change how infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, are detected, treated and controlled by solving the unmet needs of healthcare providers managing patient care throughout the world.” Press release
NeuMoDx Molecular announced the launch of a CE-IVD assay to detect and differentiate Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) and/or Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) in clinical urine specimens. The NeuMoDx TV/MG Assay implemented on the NeuMoDx Molecular Systems allows for automated detection of TV and MG simultaneously. NeuMoDx Molecular offers solutions that integrate the entire molecular diagnostic process—from extraction to detection or “sample to result”—with the first result available in approximately one hour. These innovative analyzers provide operators with the ability to load patient samples in a continuous, random-access workflow resulting in on-demand, high throughput sample processing with a true operator walkaway window of up to eight hours. “The launch of the NeuMoDx TV/MG Assay represents the latest example of our commitment to improve women’s health globally,” said Jeff Williams, NeuMoDx Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. “Laboratories around the world will be able to deliver high quality results to clinicians and the patients they serve in a more rapid and efficient manner.” Press release
Resolution Bioscience announced an agreement with LabCorp to make the Resolution ctDx Lung assay available to clinicians and patients. The fast, accurate, and non-invasive test is designed to detect actionable mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) genes recommended by professional guidelines. The assay will be performed in Resolution’s CLIA laboratory as a laboratory developed test, and is expected to be available exclusively from LabCorp in the first half of 2020. Press release
Proscia has expanded into the international diagnostic pathology market to meet the growing needs of laboratories and cancer patients worldwide. The company has added the leadership of Arun Ananthapadmanabhan as Executive Vice President, Global Growth, to manage commercial operations for its international market. Proscia’s accelerated global focus follows the company’s November announcement that it received CE Mark for its Concentriq Dx solution for use in primary diagnosis. Proscia’s Concentriq digital pathology platform operates at the center of the modern, image-based laboratory. Its end-to-end capabilities include automation of time consuming and error-prone manual tasks, streamlined collaboration, and delivery of deeper operational insights into the hands of laboratory managers. Concentriq is an open, flexible platform that works with any scanner and laboratory information system (LIS), offering seamless integrations with Philips, Leica, 3DHISTECH, Roche, and Hamamatsu among other leading whole slide image scanners. It also serves as a launchpad for the company’s suite of AI applications, enabling laboratories to easily deploy AI in practice. “With the only AI-enabled digital pathology platform, Proscia is uniquely positioned to enter the international market,” David West, CEO of Proscia, said in a press release. “This market is primed for the adoption of digital pathology and artificial intelligence, which we can deliver today. We look forward building upon our traction in the U.S. and working with our growing partner ecosystem to help laboratories worldwide realize the full promise of digital pathology. We’re pleased to welcome Arun to our leadership team to help us carry out this effort with his deep market expertise.” Arun Ananthapadmanabhan joins Proscia as Executive Vice President, Global Growth, to oversee the company’s international operations. He comes to Proscia from Philips, where he created and led the Computational Pathology business. In addition to strong product and market expertise, Arun brings experience advising on growth strategies from his time as management consultant at Bain. Arun is located in Amsterdam, from where he will be building a team to support his efforts. Press release
Certara announced that its discovery research relationship with Arvinas has expanded to include a greater diversity of small molecule drug discovery projects and data sources. Arvinas’ current drug discovery focus areas include metastatic prostate cancer, locally-advanced or metastatic breast cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Arvinas’s proprietary PROTAC (proteolysis-targeting chimera) protein degraders are chimeric, modular small molecules, which harness the body’s natural protein disposal system, the ubiquitin‐proteasome system, to induce the degradation of disease‐causing proteins. “Arvinas is employing Certara’s D360 scientific informatics platform to increase the speed and efficiency of its lead identification and optimization processes. D360 is specifically designed to allow scientific researchers to access, understand and share drug discovery data quickly,” explained David Lowis, Senior Director of Product Management at Certara, in a press release. “Medical research is moving so rapidly, especially in oncology, that gaining access to novel technology and fast, accurate drug discovery results will determine how quickly new medicines can be brought to patients.” Press release
Accumen announced that its 3DR Labs company is partnering with Resonance Health to provide FerriSmart magnetic resonance imaging- (MRI-) based liver iron concentration reports for its clients. FerriSmart uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze MRI images and deliver a liver iron quantification result within seconds. This technology allows liver iron concentrations to be monitored effectively and efficiently for individuals with confirmed or suspected systemic iron overload, patients with thalassemia or sickle cell anemia who require regular blood transfusions, and recipients of artificial heart valves who may experience an increase in systemic iron levels over time. “We are excited to partner with Resonance Health to provide our clients with this additional resource for mining valuable diagnostic data from their MRI images,” Accumen President and CEO Jeff Osborne said in a press release. “3DR is already working with 900 hospitals in the United States, creating three-dimensional images from their MRI and computed tomography scans. We consider FerriSmart Reports to be a natural extension to the comprehensive MRI analysis services that we already offer to our 3DR clients.” Press release