LONGUEUIL, QC,June 29 /CNW Telbec/ - Clemex Technologies Inc. (TSX Venture: CXG.a) announces today that the Company is creating a new division which has the mission of developing medical instruments based on its expertise in quantitative microscopy systems. Clemex will design, develop and bring to market medical instruments, for hematology and pathology applications.
In addition to offering technical expertise, the Canadian National Research Council (CNRC), through its IRAP program, will participate to the $815,000 research project in the form a grant of up to $482,000. This investment will be committed a research project for the development of a microscopy blood cells analyzer. The project, which began June 1 2009, will end in 15 months with the delivery of the first units. This new instrument will play a complementary role to the traditional chemical analysis instruments at it will allow for automated image analysis of the 20% of blood samples that cannot be processed chemically and that are currently analyzed by optical microscopy. While these samples are currently examined visually by qualified personnel with all the associated inconvenience, the new Clemex instrument will more than double the precision of the results, since it will classify two to three times more white blood cells than a microscopist and this in a few minutes. Furthermore, it will be possible to analyze two or three slides per patient rather than one, making the results even more convincing.
During the same period of time, Clemex’s French business partner, Reactifs RAL of Bordeaux, France, will be developing chemical reagents specifically design for automated microscopy systems such as the instrument conceived and fabricated by Clemex.
A team of eight people will be dedicated to the design and conception of the instrument, while external consultants will be coaching Clemex for compliancy with Health Canada and FDA Rules and Regulations prior to commercialization. An Hematologist from the Montreal Jewish Hospital, Dr. Martin Gyger, will be consulted by the R&D team on a continuous basis for his professional advice.
Following the launch of the project, Dr. Gyger declared: “I am deeply honored and enthusiastic to be involved in the development of such an instrument to assist in the diagnosis of blood pathologies. With the short supply of qualified medical personnel, combined with aging population and continuously increasing costs of Health Services, there is no doubt in my mind that there is a need for such medical instruments.” He carried on by adding: “I have been meeting with the Clemex R&D team on a regular basis over the last few months to prepare this project, and I am convinced that Clemex already possess a substantial part of the required technology and that they have the expertise to conceive and build a first class instrument.”
Clement Forget, President and CEO of CLEMEX added: “With the current economic slowdown in the manufacturing industry, which is likely to continue for a while, we had to explore other, more promising markets in order to sustain our growth and the medical instrument and health market is one of first choice. The hematology application alone represents a market of 2 billion $, with a minimum potential of 2,500 instruments in North America and Europe alone.”
He carried on: “Furthermore, the recent exposure of possible inadequate breast cancer diagnosis related to pathological blood slides analysis, demonstrates that there will be an increasing need for powerful and reliable medical instruments which offer reproducible results, at the fraction of the cost of qualified personnel. This long awaited instrument will be the perfect complement for numerous hematology testing laboratories.”
About Clemex Technologies, Inc.
Clemex Technologies Inc. develops, manufactures and markets image analysis systems and software used by medical, quality control and research microscopy laboratories. Clemex’s customer base spans over many countries in America, Europe, Asia and encompasses major Research and Development Centers, Hospitals, prestigious Universities and large manufacturing industries in various fields including health science, automotive, aerospace, raw materials manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, mining and other sectors.
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