NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Immunexpress Group, Biocartis, and Debiopharm Group today announced a collaboration to further develop Immunexpress' gene expression assay for managing sepsis.
Under the deal, Debiopharm will fund the validation and clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration of the test called SeptiCyte Triage. Biocartis will then fund the development and commercialization of the validated SeptiCyte assay on its fully integrated molecular diagnostics platform. The system includes an instrument, communication console, and single-use, disposable cartridges for detecting and quantifying multiple DNA or RNA biomarkers.
Debiopharm also is investing A$2 million (US$2 million) into Immunexpress.
SeptiCyte is a multiplex gene expression assay for use in emergency and intensive care units or upon hospital admission. It allows for the early diagnosis of sepsis, the differentiation of sepsis from other forms of inflammation, and the determination of sepsis severity, Immunexpress said.
"With accuracy significantly better than procalcitonin, bringing SeptiCyte Triage onto Biocartis' revolutionary point-of-need multiplex qRT-PCR platform will enable clinicians to more quickly and accurately identify and triage patients suspected of sepsis," Immunexpress President and CEO Roslyn Brandon said in a statement.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Privately held Immunexpress develops molecular diagnostics for sepsis and has offices in Seattle and Brisbane, Australia.