Business
COVID-19 Antigen Test Collaboration with Adeptrix
COVID-19 Antigen Test Collaboration with Adeptrix.
About this update from Avacta Group Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \n \n RNS Number : 5768L\n Avacta Group PLC\n 01 May 2020\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n 01 May 2020\n \n \n Avacta Group plc\n \n \n (\"Avacta\" or \"the Group\" or \"the Company\")\n \n \n \n \n \n COVID-19 Antigen Diagnostic Collaboration with Adeptrix\n \n \n \n \n \n Second partnership to exploit the recently generated Affimer binders to the SARS-COV-2 virus in a high throughput COVID-19 antigen test\n \n \n \n \n \n Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), the developer of Affimer® biotherapeutics and reagents, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a collaboration with Adeptrix (Beverly, MA, USA) to develop a high throughput COVID-19 antigen test using Adeptrix's proprietary bead-assisted mass spectrometry (BAMS™) platform.\n \n \n Avacta and Adeptrix will collaborate to develop and manufacture an Affimer-based BAMS coronavirus antigen test\n that will provide clinicians with a significant expansion of the available testing capacity for COVID-19 infection in hospitals. \n \n \n Adeptrix's novel BAMS platform combines enrichment of the sample to improve sensitivity with the power of mass-spectrometry to improve specificity. Hundreds of samples per day can be analysed by a single technician using BAMS, exceeding the capacity of single PCR machine, making BAMS a very attractive high throughput technique for COVID-19 screening in the clinical setting.\n \n \n The diagnostic test will allow hospitals around the world to utilise their existing installed base of mass spectrometers that are not currently used for COVID-19 testing, thus contributing significantly to the increase in global testing capacity. Avacta's recently developed Affimer reagents that bind the SARS-COV-2 spike protein will be used to provide the capture and enrichment of the virus particle from the sample which could be saliva, nasopharyngeal swabs or serum. \n \n \n Development of a BAMS test capable of diagnosing whether a person has the COVID-19 infection at any specific moment is a quick process and the companies are aiming to have a BAMS test ready for clinical validation, regulatory approval and manufacturing in June. Adeptrix and Avacta are already in discussion with \n large-scale manufacturing partners to rapidly deploy this new high throughput test. \n \n \n Further commercial deta...