Miacom Diagnostics: Improving Rapid Diagnostics

DUESSELDORF, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Miacom diagnostics GmbH, Duesseldorf, a company focused on improving therapy and outcomes for patients suffering from acute infectious diseases, today announced a new partnership with MetaSystems, an industry leading company in computerized imaging. The companies will join forces to offer microbiologists all the advantages of FISH technology together with the accuracy and speed of a fully automated reading and data analysis platform.

“This joint venture will bring something truly unique to the market”

“This joint venture will bring something truly unique to the market” stated Dr. Mirko Stange, CEO Miacom diagnostics. “During the last year MetaSystems and our team have succeeded in utilizing the full power of the MetaSystems platform to automatically handle and analyse Miacom processed patient samples. We are now able to automatically identify bacteria directly from respiratory secretions in just minutes. The benefits are tremendous - laboratories can report the infection causing pathogen within the timeframe of a Gram stain and enable ICUs to immediately improve antibiotic treatment.” For customers from the pharmaceutical industry and larger hospital chains the “Rapid Pathogen Identification” or RPI System comes with a significant option. A small RPI System was specifically developed to enable decentralized sample processing while the resulting data can be stored and analyzed centrally anywhere in the world. “Particularly for antibiotic trials this system facilitates patient enrollment while reducing overall cost and reducing risk for trial participants. A trained physician in Boston, for example, can make a diagnosis of a patient sample being tested in New Delhi – this occurs in real-time, so that within 30min the correct pathogen ID can be confirmed and the decision can be made to enroll the patient in a trial.” explains Dr. Andreas Plesch, CEO of MetaSystems. To fit into modern laboratory processes the RPI System insures that all results are digitally transmitted and stored, and that they are fully compatible with LIM systems.

With the incorporation of MetaSystems’ technology, Miacom gets one step closer to fully automate its assays. Microbiologists now have a cost effective ID alternative at hand, which can be easily integrated into the workflow of all laboratories. Current assays include an FDA cleared multiplex assay for Sepsis and assays detecting and quantifying pneumonia-related pathogens directly from sputum or other pulmonary secretions. The small scale system as well as an RPI designed for high-throughput applications will be officially launched at the ECCMID conference in Amsterdam in the beginning of April. Customers are invited to observe a live demo of the RPI-System and learn about the exciting pipeline of new assays to be run on this platform at the Miacom booth (No 63)

About Miacom diagnostics (www.miacom-diagnostics.com)

Miacom diagnostics specializes in in vitro diagnostic tests for pathogens causing acute systemic diseases. Miacom will change critical patient care by providing rapid molecular diagnostics tools designed for routine use to promote more efficient antibiotic therapies and help healthcare organizations reduce costs. Miacom’s current “tool box” includes the world’s only molecular diagnostics (MDx) test that identifies all relevant pneumonia-related bacteria directly from sputum in only 30 minutes as well as rapid multiplex solutions for sepsis patients.

About MetaSystems (www.metasystems-international.com)

MetaSystems is a leader in automated microscopy and slide screening and a provider of fluorescent DNA probes for genetic diagnostics in cytogenetics, hematology, and pathology. Imaging solutions range from manual or semi-automated acquisition stations to fully automated walk-away systems comprising a robotic slide feeder for unattended screening and analysis of up to 800 slides.