NX Prenatal Announces Strategic Partnership With NxGEN MDx To Develop And Commercialize Preterm Birth Risk Stratification Test

LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- NX Prenatal Inc., a privately held women's healthcare molecular diagnostic company, announced today a strategic partnership with NxGEN MDx, LLC to collaborate on  the development and commercial deployment of its blood tests to assess early pregnancy biomarkers of preterm birth risk.  The partnership brings together NX Prenatal's experience in developing exosome-associated biomarkers from maternal blood with NxGEN MDx's rapidly growing reputation as a best-in-class provider of testing solutions focused on women's health.

Preterm birth affects up to 1 in 8 U.S. pregnancies, with nearly half a million preterm births each year.  These preterm births represent an annual cost to the system of approximately $26 billion. Globally, there are approximately 15 million preterm births each year which account for 75% of perinatal deaths and are a major determinant of short and long term morbidity in infants and children.

"We are excited to partner with the innovative NX Prenatal team.  Our combined efforts are designed to fulfill the industry's stated goal of early identification of which pregnant women are at increased risk for delivering prematurely, and NX Prenatal has demonstrated that its technology uniquely holds the potential to achieve this breakthrough," said Alan Mack, CEO of NxGEN MDx.  "This new generation of diagnostics is complementary to our current suite of tests which help families and their physicians plan for healthy pregnancy outcomes," noted Mack.

"In addition to helping clinicians proactively manage those at greatest risk, patients and families will benefit from personalized care and potential tailored interventions, while payers and self-insured employers may ultimately experience lower claims costs related to preterm birth as well as a healthier population base," notes Gail Page, Executive Chair of NX Prenatal.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About NX Prenatal

NX Prenatal Inc. is a private US based molecular diagnostics company located in Louisville, KY.  NX Prenatal is developing novel diagnostic assays for adverse pregnancy outcomes and conditions such as preterm birth. NX Prenatal's proprietary NeXosome® platform enables the rapid isolation and enrichment of exosome and microvesicle particles from maternal blood. These particles have been shown to be shed from the maternal and fetal tissues to help maintain a balance in certain immunologic and inflammatory processes that are common to successful pregnancy outcomes. The biomarker content of these exosome particles can reflect early signs of dysfunction and dysregulation in those processes, which can lead to adverse outcomes. The company has unlocked a new library of biomarkers for prenatal risk assessment as early as 10 weeks gestation. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.nxprenatal.com.

About NxGEN MDx

NxGEN MDx LLC is a leading clinical molecular diagnostics laboratory delivering accurate and precise genetic screening detection rates. Unlike other laboratories, NxGEN MDx's technology examines the entire gene rather than parts of the gene, giving families a comprehensive assessment of their true risk. NxGEN MDx is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.nxgenmdx.com

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SOURCE NX Prenatal Inc.