NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – French theranostics and in vitro diagnostics company Theradiag announced today it is acquiring biotech firm Prestizia for an undisclosed amount.
Prestizia, a subsidiary of the Holding Incubatrice Biotechnology and Pharmacy, develops microRNA technology and holds the license to IP for a method of characterizing HIV cell tropism. Based on the identification of miRNA signatures, Prestizia's technology could have a number of clinical applications, such as the identification of patients who may benefit from treatments for viral diseases including HIV or differentiating cancer tumor types, Theradiag said.
In collaboration with the Institute de Genetique Moleculaire de Montpelier, Prestizia is developing the first application for its platform, a molecular test of HIV tropism. Theradiag said it is working with the platform to develop new theranostic tests for various indications such as cancer and autoimmune diseases.
"There is a strong synergy between Theradiag and Prestizia and we are delighted with this acquisition that brings Theradiag a research team with state-of-the-art microRNA expertise, as well as an innovative technological platform, which can predict the efficiency of drugs on diseases such as AIDS and cancer," Jean-Jacques Bertrand, chairman of the Holding Incubatrice Biotechnology and Pharmacy, said in a statement.