Validation of new protein multiplexing technology platform in the ophthalmic domain
Cologne, Germany and Singapore, February 3, 2015 / B3C newswire / - AYOXXA, an international biotech company with headquarters in Cologne, has signed an agreement with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), one of the leading international eye research institutes. AYOXXA and SERI will work together on validating the company’s multiplexing technology platform for protein biomarker detection, as part of an expanded collaboration for developing ophthalmic diagnostic tools.
“We are pleased to start this collaboration with such a prestigious research institute like SERI,” said Michael Rasche, Corporate Vice President Global Commercial Operations of AYOXXA Biosystems GmbH. “By gaining access to very low-volume samples from the eye we can prove the benefits of our new protein multiplex technology beyond the research segment in clinical settings. We want to closely work with SERI in the ophthalmology space and potentially use our technology as new diagnostic application in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).”
“SERI has had a long and broad history of working with large and mid-size pharmaceutical and ophthalmic companies, and we are now keen to expand our collaboration scope to working with promising start-up companies from around the world, be it biotech, diagnostics or device companies, with our goal of positioning Singapore as one of the world hubs for innovative technology development in ophthalmology” said Prof. Tin Aung, Executive Director of SERI. ”The partnership with AYOXXA can potentially enable the co-development of a range of ophthalmic diagnostic tools, beginning with AMD. Having a validated diagnostic platform can potentially help better assess patients and more objectively steer their treatment. It can also potentially assist in the development of new treatments.”
Research teams led by Dr. Dieter Trau, Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the National University of Singapore and Co-founder of AYOXXA, and Prof. Wong Tien Yin, one of world’s top eye researchers and Medical Director at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), will closely work together during this pilot study.
About angiogenic retinal diseases (ARDs)
Angiogenic retinal diseases (ARDs) including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are the leading causes of blindness in elderly patients worldwide. Inflammation (cytokines) and growth factors are known to play a significant role in pathogenesis. Sensitive and reliable biomarker assays allow diagnosis and therapy monitoring. Samples need to be taken directly from the vitreous and aqueous compartments of patients’ eyes. The limitations of currently used biomarker evaluation include the demand for relatively large sample volumes, which in some patients, may be difficult to obtain without having to undergo a vitrectomy during surgery. Additionally, established tests are also time-consuming and expensive. As part of this pilot study, cytokine and growth factor concentrations in vitreous and aqueous patient samples will be determined using the AYOXXA human cytokine bioassays and compared with standard methods. Furthermore, the AYOXXA protein multiplexing technology will be challenged for reliability using very small sample quantities. The technology might offer a fast, sensitive, reliable and economic testing system for AMD and other ophthalmic diseases, as well as to enable therapy monitoring for the benefit of both, patients and clinicians.
About AYOXXA
AYOXXA Biosystems GmbH, an international biotech company based in Cologne (Germany) and Singapore, has developed a proprietary technology platform for multiplex protein analysis. Founded in 2010, AYOXXA is a biotech spin-off company from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Core to the cutting-edge system is a bead-based technology (IEBA) that yields 10,000-fold more data points than a standard 384-well ELISA. The IEBA technology was developed at Associate Professor Dieter Trau’s laboratory at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at NUS. Together with lowest sample volume in the multiplex protein arena, an increased assay robustness, and readout with existing equipment, AYOXXA will bring a paradigm shift to biomedical research, pharmacological screening and preclinical diagnostics development.
About SERI
Established in 1997, SERI is Singapore’s national research institute for ophthalmic and vision research. SERI’s mission is to conduct high impact eye research with the aim to prevent blindness, low vision and major eye diseases common to Singaporeans and Asians. Serving as the research institute of the Singapore National Eye Centre, and directly affiliated to the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, as well the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, SERI undertakes vision research in collaboration with local clinical ophthalmic centers and biomedical research institutions, as well as major eye centers and research institutes throughout the world.
SERI has grown from a founding team of five in 1997 to a faculty of 220, encompassing clinician scientists, scientists, research fellows, PhD students and support staff. This makes SERI one of the largest research institutes in Singapore and the largest eye research institute in Asia-Pacific. The institute has amassed an impressive array of publications totaling 2,100 scientific papers as of November 2014, and has secured 212 external peer-reviewed competitive grants worth $197 million. As of November 2014, SERI’s faculty has been awarded over 300 national and international prizes and filed over 90 patents.
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