News
Axela Strengthens Biomarker Offering with Licenses in areas of Brain Injury, Cancer and Diabetes
Toronto, Canada, June 10, 2009 - Axela Inc. is pleased to announce two new agreements designed to expand its suite of biomarker analysis and assay development tools. Recent agreements with Proteome Sciences plc and Micromedics provide access to proprietary biomarkers for use on the dotLab® Biomarker Analysis Platform. These assays will initially be offered for research use only (RUO) as panelPlus multiplex reagents for the dotLab System. Based on unique optics technology, the dotLab System allows reagent qualification, assay development and routine quantitative analysis to be performed on a single platform. Axela’s panelPlus™ Sensors provide the industry’s first real time, user configurable multiplex assays and have been designed to facilitate validation of both clinical utility and analytical performance. Assays selected from a menu of established biomarkers can be freely combined with proprietary targets to allow direct comparison in a single sample.
On 27th May, 2009 Proteome Sciences plc announced it has entered into a license agreement with Axela Inc. for the development of multiplexed assays to measure its proprietary brain damage biomarkers on Axela's dotLab System. Proteome Sciences has established a strong portfolio of patent protected blood biomarkers of brain damage-related disorders working in collaboration with the Biomedical Proteomics Research Group (BPRG) at the University of Geneva. The range of diseases covered by Proteome's patents include stroke, subarachnoid haemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, amyetrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
On April 26th Micromedic Inc announced it has signed an MOU with Axela Inc. to collaborate in the marketing and commercialization of proprietary Biomarker kits in the fields of oncology and diabetes. These kits – used to identify various types of cancer and diabetes – will be based on innovations from Micromedic's subsidiaries and assimilated into Axela's newly developed panelPlus multiplex biomarker analysis platform. Axela will receive the licenses to market, distribute and sell kits incorporating these biomarkers on the dotLab System for research use in North American and Europe.
“These agreements represent another significant step in Axela’s progress to becoming a leader in protein biomarker analysis” said Rocky Ganske, President and CEO of Axela. “Making these novel targets available today for researchers to combine with existing biomarkers will facilitate validation and drive new clinical applications that form the basis of Axela’s future diagnostic offerings”
About Axela Inc.
Axela’s products deliver rapid understanding of biological interactions, and use real time information to significantly improve the amount and quality of information derived from traditional immunoassay. This approach shortens time to result, greatly simplifies multiplexing and provides access to unique categories of markers that form a pipeline of future diagnostic offerings. Axela has operations in Toronto and California. Its major investor is VenGrowth Private Equity Partners Inc.
About Proteome Sciences
Proteome Sciences is a leading biomarker CRO providing protein biomarker discovery, validation and assay development services. The Company’s MS Biomarker Assay system (MBA) uses its proprietary isobaric Tandem Mass Tags (TMT®) and reference materials combined with isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Highly multiplexed assays can be developed in weeks and are suitable for screening 10's to 100's of candidate biomarkers in validation studies. Assays for validated biomarkers can be rapidly developed using the same isotope dilution mass spectrometry format, or can be transferred for immunoassay development.
The Company’s own research is focused on neurological and neurodegenerative conditions and it has discovered and patented blood biomarkers in stroke and brain damage as well as several cancers, solid organ transplant rejection and Alzheimer’s disease. Proteome Sciences is based in Cobham, UK with facilities in London and Frankfurt.
About Micromedic
Micromedic is an Israeli company traded in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (symbol: Mactech), a leading force in the worldwide development of advanced Biomarkers that help in early detection and quality treatment of acute illnesses such as cancer and diabetes. Micromedic holds four subsidiaries involved in the development of Biomarkers in cooperation with leading Israeli and worldwide research facilities: BioMedic (in junction with the University of Florida) – a company that develops markers for detection of cancer in the digestive system, Bio Mark (in junction with Ichilov Hospital) – a company involved in the development of markers for detection of intestinal cancer, Bio Gene (in junction with Hadassah Jerusalem Hospital) – a company that develops equipment that indicate the hereditary risk of breast cancer, and Macro Rap (in junction with The Technion School of Medicine) – a company that develops innovative markers in diabetes detection.