Prenetics Signs Multi-million Dollar Collaboration with Oxford University for Advanced Molecular Diagnostics
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HONG KONG, April 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prenetics Limited, a global leader in diagnostics and genetic testing, Oxford University and Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) have signed multi-million dollar collaboration agreements to further develop the award-winning OxLAMP™ technology, a rapid, molecular testing technology for infectious diseases. Following the successful acquisition and commercialization in October 2020 by Prenetics of Oxsed, an Oxford University spin-out company, it was envisioned that a deeper scientific and long-term collaboration was to be formed to advance molecular diagnostic testing for global unmet needs. Professor Zhanfeng Cui, Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering at Oxford University / Founding Director at OSCAR said: "The initial collaboration with Prenetics has exceeded all expectations and their team led by Danny Yeung have been highly involved on a daily basis with our scientific developments. We have been impressed! When we think about the future, especially with the Pandemic, it's very apparent to us that testing is here to stay with us for years to come. With this in mind, we are excited about the future roadmap in which we develop novel scientific discoveries to aid the World with fast and accurate molecular testing globally. Our goal is to decentralize laboratory testing with rapid, highly accurate, molecular testing, not just for Covid-19 but for all infectious diseases. I'm confident we can succeed in our mission with Prenetics." The first OxLAMP™ RaViD Direct SARS-CoV-2 product has been developed on helping the global community with rapid, portable, accurate results for the detection of Covid-19. In just about 20 minutes, OxLAMP identifies the presence of Covid-19 without the use of a traditional laboratory, with 96% sensitivity / 99.9% specificity and have been put into use at airports globally, including in London Heathrow. The OxLAMP™ test for SARS-CoV-2 has already received CE-IVD, MHRA approval and efforts are underway for a submission to FDA under the EUA protocols for SARS-CoV-2. A new Prenetics Innovation Technology Centre (ITC) for Advanced Molecular Diagnostics has been established, which will be based in Oxford Suzhou, Oxford University's first overseas research centre for physical science and engineering. The Prenetics ITC will bring together leading researchers in bio-sensing, clinical virology, microbiology and medical devices in efforts to enrich technology development for molecular diagnostics. In parallel a research program is initiated in the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Danny Yeung, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Prenetics, said: "Our new collaboration with Oxford University and OSCAR is our commitment to continually invest in R&D and by establishing our own Innovation Technology Centre, we believe it will have profound breakthroughs in molecular diagnostics. We also expect more top researchers to be based in Suzhou and in Oxford over the next 3 years into our technology centre. The Oxford team of professors has been amazing and I'm truly excited with our molecular diagnostic pipeline and the opportunity to decentralize laboratory testing globally." The University of Oxford Oxford University has been placed number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the fifth year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation. Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions. Oxford Suzhou for Advanced Research (OSCAR) Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) is Oxford University's first overseas research centre for advanced science and engineering research. OSCAR is located in Suzhou Industrial Park in the historic city of Suzhou, approximately 30 minutes outside Shanghai. Since its launch in 2018, OSCAR has innovative research, across a range of mathematical, life and physical sciences disciplines, has generated a number of patents, publications and successful collaborations. As part of the second phase of its development, OSCAR will join industrial partners and launch several Innovation Technology Centres (ITCs) , each focusing on strategic emerging areas and capitalising on the research strengths of our core teams while focusing on close-to-market technologies. The first, the Prenetics ITC in Molecular Diagnostics, is launched based on the award-winning OxLAMPTM technology and highly successful collaboration with Prenetics. The Prenetics ITC is directed by Prof Wei E Huang in the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. https://oscar.web.ox.ac.uk/home About Prenetics Limited Prenetics is a leading genetics and diagnostic health testing company, operational in 10 countries with a team of over 400. Prenetics has received over USD 60-million in strategic funding from Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, Ping An Ventures, Apis Partners and more. Prenetics, driven by a duty of social responsibility due to the global pandemic launched Project Screen, an initiative aimed at making COVID-19 testing easy, safe and accurate. Prenetics has to-date performed more than 2million RT-PCR tests in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. In Hong Kong, Prenetics was the 1st private laboratory to have been appointed by the Hong Kong government for mass community testing. In the United Kingdom, Prenetics was instrumental in the re-start of the English Premier League season having done the testing across 20 clubs for all of their players and coaches, as well as introducing a digital health passport in stadiums. For more information, visit https://prenetics.com.
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