BBI Solutions, Cardiff, UK, has signed an agreement to license 3DNA signal amplification technology from Genisphere LLC for the development of lateral-flow rapid test applications.

BBI will utilize Genisphere’s technology to develop lateral-flow assays with enhanced performance and sensitivity, particularly for assay development and manufacturing services for the point-of-care (POC) diagnostics market. The parties also agreed to negotiate further licenses to permit BBI to commercialize such products. The financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

Thomas

Leigh Thomas, BBI Solutions. Photo by John Huw.

“A key goal for rapid-test manufacturers is to push the level of detection to the absolute maximum,” says Leigh Thomas, chief commercial officer at BBI Solutions. “We believe that Genisphere’s 3DNA signal amplification technology will provide BBI with an additional valuable tool to drive assay performance, expand the life cycle of lateral-flow assays, and offer lateral-flow solutions to enable the level of handheld POC analysis that may not have been previously possible.”

A part of the BBI Group, BBI Solutions is a leading manufacturer of raw materials and finished test platforms for the in vitro diagnostics market. The company’s range of raw materials includes human antigens, antibodies, serum and plasma products, and clinical chemistry enzymes. BBI Solutions manufactures world-renowned labels for lateral-flow assays, ELISAs, and biosensors, including gold nanoparticles and glucose oxidase. The company also offers development and manufacturing services across a number of lateral-flow and related platforms.

Genisphere LLC, Hatfield, Penn, is a nanotechnology company providing innovative tools for targeted drug delivery, clinical diagnostics, and life sciences research based on the company’s 3DNA platform. The company’s technology has been used to improve the limit of detection in a variety of assay platforms, including microarrays, ELISAs, bead-based flow cytometry, and lateral-flow assays. The technology can provide a significant improvement in sensitivity where conventional optimization methods have not delivered the required performance.

Kadushin

Jim Kadushin, Genisphere

The formal partnership between the companies resulted from a 3-year R&D collaboration focused on customizing the 3DNA technology to BBI’s rapid test platforms and those of its customers. “Genisphere is delighted to have this relationship with BBI, a market leader in lateral-flow rapid test development and manufacturing,” says Jim Kadushin, Genisphere’s chief operations officer. “Our combined efforts will result in BBI providing its partners with an edge in this competitive landscape, and the true winner will be the patient.”

BBI will be showcasing the benefits of the 3DNA signal amplification technology in lateral-flow applications at the Medica exhibition in Düsseldorf from November 12–14, 2014. For more information visit BBI Solutions.