Singulex Inc, Alameda, Calif, has entered into a license and supply agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Mass. The agreement provides Singulex access to Thermo Scientific Brahms procalcitonin (PCT), a biomarker which is used in Europe to diagnose systemic bacterial infection and sepsis, and is used in the United States to aid in assessing the risk of critically ill patients for progression to severe sepsis and septic shock, and the risk of mortality in patients diagnosed with sepsis.

Sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) are potentially life-threatening complications of infection that can result in significant health and economic costs if not identified and treated early.

Singulex is utilizing its proprietary single molecule counting (SMC) technology to develop a sepsis and SIRS rule-in and rule-out test using the Thermo Scientific PCT biomarker on the Sgx Clarity system. The Sgx Clarity system, currently in development and not yet approved for sale, is a fully automated, next-generation immunodiagnostics platform designed to bring the benefits of Singulex’s SMC technology to hospital and reference labs worldwide.

Guido Baechler,

Guido Baechler, Singulex.

“The agreement with Thermo Fisher marks an important milestone in the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and SIRS, a significant global health concern,” says Guido Baechler, president and chief executive officer of Singulex. “It is also another validation of the power of Singulex’s next-generation immunodiagnostics platform powered by SMC. Building on our proven success in cardiac troponin diagnostic analysis, our plan is to develop and commercialize sepsis and SIRS rule-out and rule-in tests for use on our Sgx Clarity system. The combination of SMC-powered utility designed in the Sgx Clarity system with the proven Thermo Scientific Brahms PCT know-how and biomaterials will be a major advancement for the medical community.”

According to the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, sepsis is considered the most expensive condition treated in the United States, costing more than $23 billion in 2013, and rising.1

For more information, visit Singulex and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

REFERENCE

  1. Torio CM, Moore BJ. National inpatient hospital costs: the most expensive conditions by payer, 2013 [online]. Rockville, MD: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2016. Available at: hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb204-most-expensive-hospital-conditions.jsp. Accessed December 8, 2016.