DNAe was named ‘Best Diagnostic Medtech Company’ at the 2018 OBN Awards.
London, UK and Carlsbad, CA, USA – 16 October 2018 – DNAe, the inventor of semiconductor-based genomic analysis technologies, and the developer of a new game-changing test for bloodstream infections (BSI) that can lead to sepsis, was named ‘Best Diagnostic Medtech Company’ at the 2018 OBN Awards.
Marking its 10th anniversary, the prestigious OBN Awards recognize and celebrate innovation and achievement of leading companies in the Life Sciences industry.
DNAe was chosen by a panel of independent expert judges, representing a diverse spectrum of UK and global life sciences stakeholders. DNAe beat the other finalists, Oxford Cancer Biomarkers, Owlstone Medical and Inivata, to the award. DNAe was recognized for its pioneering semiconductor DNA analysis and sample preparation1 technologies that underlie its breakthrough direct-from-blood, cartridge-based diagnostic in development, LiDia® BSI1,2, as well as the developmental progress and disruptive potential of the LiDia® BSI method.
Jonathan Rohll, Head of Business Information at OBN said: “DNAe really caught the eye of many of our judges for addressing a clear unmet need with their novel microchip-based, fast and simple technology platform that has huge potential in the early diagnosis of sepsis and other acute conditions. We would like to congratulate them on winning the Best Diagnostic Medtech Company category at the 2018 OBN Awards.”
Accepting the award at the OBN Awards ceremony on 11 October at the Examination Schools of the University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, were Nick McCooke, Chief Business Officer of DNAe, and Dr Nour Shublaq, DNAe’s European Product Manager. McCooke said: “We are very proud to be named as Best Diagnostic MedTech Company at the 2018 OBN Awards. Identification of bloodstream infections using current standard-of-care culture-based diagnostics is slow, and testing is often carried out at specialist laboratories away from the patient. Meanwhile, treatment is typically empirical, impacting survival rates and hospital stay negatively. DNAe’s first generation platform and revolutionary test, currently in development, will enable rapid diagnosis of sepsis-causing bloodstream infections closer to the frontline of care, and operated by non-expert end users. The potential impact to patients and institutions from timely evidence-based treatment owing to our approach is considerable.”
DNAe’s first generation platform utilizes amplification-based detection. The LiDia® BSI test promises to revolutionize the ability of physicians to treat antimicrobial resistant infections by identifying the causative pathogen, including key antimicrobial resistance markers within two to three hours, directly from a whole blood sample.
DNAe’s Executive Chairman, Professor Chris Toumazou, co-inventor of several DNA semiconductor technologies used in the platform, and Regius Professor of Engineering at Imperial College London, commented: “This is another outstanding achievement underscoring our innovative technologies, determination and inspirational efforts to transform bloodstream infection diagnosis with fast and simple semiconductor-based diagnostics.”
Dr Steve Allen, CEO of DNAe Group Holdings commented: “We are delighted that DNAe is named as Best Diagnostic MedTech Company at the 2018 OBN Awards and we thank the Expert Judges for this special honor. Being recognized in short order in two separate prestigious industry award programs, now by the OBN Awards and last month by the MedTech Insight Awards, follows a successful first half of the year for DNAe. In April, at the ECCMID 2018 congress, we previewed a demonstration of the blood-to-result workflow of LiDia® BSI for the first time at our booth, and presented data that demonstrated the ability of the LiDia® BSI method to detect pathogens and antibiotic resistance in samples from patients who had received antibiotic therapy, within a significantly shorter period than standard-of-care blood culture testing. We look forward to making further announcements in due course.”
Last month, DNAe was also named ‘Most Innovative Team or Innovator of the Year’ at the Inaugural Medtech Insight Awards in Philadelphia, USA. More details can be found, here.
1 This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under Contract No. HHSO100201400015C.
2 Test in development. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
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Notes To Editors
About DNAe – www.dnae.com
DNAe is developing its pioneering semiconductor DNA sequencing technology for healthcare applications where rapid near-patient live diagnostics is needed to provide actionable information to clinicians, saving lives by enabling the right treatment at the right time.
In January 2015 DNAe acquired nanoMR, Inc. (now DNA Electronics Inc.), a developer of a novel system for rapid isolation of rare cells in the bloodstream. DNAe is developing LiDia®, its sample-to-result genomic analysis platform, combining DNA Electronics Inc.’s Pathogen Capture System with its own portfolio of semiconductor-based genomic technologies, trademarked Genalysis®. The LiDia® range of tests will enable DNA analysis directly on a microchip, providing rapid and accurate results from a user-friendly system.
DNAe’s initial focus is on infectious disease diagnostics, where speed and DNA-specific information can make the difference between life and death. LiDia® will launch with the LiDia® Bloodstream Infection (BSI) test, a groundbreaking rapid direct-from-specimen test for bloodstream infections that lead to sepsis. Built into a compact device for use at the point of need, the system will diagnose accurately and rapidly what infection a patient has, providing the clinician with actionable information to help select the appropriate antibiotics to treat the disease.
A private company, with bases in London, UK and Carlsbad, CA, USA, DNAe has strong financial backing from its investors, including major shareholder Genting Berhad, a Malaysian-based global investor with a growing portfolio of cutting–edge life sciences companies.
Issued for and on behalf of DNAe by Instinctif Partners.
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