NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – OvaGene Oncology announced today that it has acquired Etta Healthcare, combining its liquid biopsy and molecular diagnostics with Etta's point-of-care system to provide doctors with easy-to-use, rapid, point-of-care molecular tests.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The microfluidic system will allow healthcare professionals to perform multiplexed molecular tests using body fluids such as blood, urine, and saliva. It has been validated to quickly identify and quantitate proteins, viruses, and nucleic acids, and is low cost, and disposable, according to the firms.
In August, the two companies announced a partnership to commercialize multiplexed diagnostic tests to monitor gynecologic cancer and pre-cancerous conditions using Etta's in vitro diagnostics platform and OvaGene's research, clinical validation, and translational expertise.
The merged company expects to release its first point-of-care device, intended for use in the gynecologic cancer market, in the second half of 2016 in the United States, Europe, and India.
"Etta's people and technologies have allowed OvaGene to provide point-of-care molecular testing services in a broad spectrum of non-hospital environments and to do so in geographic regions unreachable through a central reference laboratory operating model," said OvaGene Chairman and CEO Frank Kiesner in a statement. "OvaGene is now able to integrate its liquid biopsy and molecular diagnostic mission onto Etta's proprietary point-of-care system in a manner that will benefit patients worldwide."