Enigma Diagnostics Secures Additional Technology Strategy Board DIIA Funding For Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Assay
Salisbury, England, 11 March 2014: Enigma Diagnostics, a leader in molecular diagnostic point-of-care (PoC) infectious disease testing, announces that it has been awarded a second grant from the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board. This grant will support further development of its test for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) on its CE Marked Enigma® Mini Laboratory (ML) system.
Enigma Diagnostics has already demonstrated feasibility testing of a single tube assay that can identify and differentiate human and bovine TB in an earlier trial, funded by an initial grant from the Technology Strategy Board’s Biomedical Catalyst programme. The MDR-TB assay also detects all mutations responsible for Rifampicin and Isoniazid resistance.
The grant of £1.4m was awarded to a consortium led by Enigma Diagnostics which includes the Clinical TB Research Laboratory, London, headed by Prof. F Drobniewski and Health Sciences Research Ltd. Enigma will focus on further development of the MDR-TB assay and fully automated sample preparation for use on Enigma’s flagship ML system.
The Enigma® Mini Laboratory system uniquely combines a number of features critical to PoC testing. The fully automated raw sample to result instrument platform delivers results equivalent to central laboratory standards in up to 70 minutes and can be used by non-technical users in both laboratory and decentralised settings. With this assay, the ML system will be particularly appropriate for use in developing countries and in resource-poor areas where multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is an ever-increasing problem. The ML system’s ease of use requires minimal training and has shown nil operator variance in recent trials, a major issue for other laboratory based diagnostic instruments where testing is undertaken by different operators. Together, these features offer physicians a paradigm shift in their ability to make fully informed treatment decisions and patients fast and accurate diagnosis with immediate treatment.
John McKinley, Chairman of Enigma Diagnostics, said: “With this grant, The Technology Strategy Board has recognised the importance of supporting Enigma to develop complex diagnostic assays on its ML system which can ultimately save patients’ lives. Our sophisticated multiplexing technology provides unprecedented levels of urgently required diagnostic information to clinicians working in a range of healthcare locations. We recognise MDR-TB as a significant healthcare issue and this grant will enable Enigma to broaden its commercialisation programme to include this important test.”
Integrated into the Technology Strategy Board’s Stratified Medicine Innovation Platform, the Detection & Identification of infectious agents (DIIA) platform was established in 2008 with the aim of reducing the economic burdened, death and illness due to infectious diseases in humans and animals. Projects supported under the DIIA platform have used public funding to encourage the development and adoption of clinically useful, commercially viable diagnostic solutions.
Dr Penny Wilson, who manages the programme for the Technology Strategy Board, said: “The development of clinically useful decentralised diagnostic tests for tuberculosis requires the convergence of excellence in a broad spectrum of capabilities and we are delighted to be supporting projects in this area for the benefit of economic growth and public health. We wish Enigma Diagnostics every success in rising to the challenge and look forward to following the company’s progress.”
About Enigma Diagnostics Limited
Enigma Diagnostics is a global leader in Point-of-Care infectious disease testing. Leveraging its extensive range of proprietary technologies and Intellectual Property, the Company has developed the Enigma® Mini Laboratory (ML) system, combining the speed and sensitivity of real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) with the simplicity needed for both laboratory and decentralised Point-of-Care testing.
The Company is initially targeting the large and high growth infectious disease markets with a strong pipeline of multiplexed assays for respiratory diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and hospital acquired infections. The Enigma ML system benefits from a global manufacturing and supply chain providing scalable volume manufacture, delivering a cost base which will capture and establish leadership of developed and emerging Point-of-Care healthcare markets.
Enigma is headquartered at Porton Down, UK. For more information visit www.enigmadiagnostics.com
About the Technology Strategy Board
The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy.
For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org
Press Contact:
Consilium Strategic Communications +44 (0)20 3709 5700
Amber Bielecka, Jessica Hodgson, Ivar Milligan enigmadiagnostics@consilium-comms.com
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