Israel-based BGN Technologies has partnered with Singaporean medical diagnostics maker Biosensorix for the development of next-generation diagnostics for point-of-care.
As part of the partnership, the firm will leverage the research performed at Israeli Ben-Gurion University (BGU), which created an electrochemical lateral flow immunosensor in the form of a smart drive that is similar to a USB.
The sensor has been designed to carry out a quantitative diagnosis of biomarkers and pathogens associated with diseases.
BGU Technologies Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren department Biotechnology Engineering professor Robert Marks said: “There are fast-acting testing kits today that can be used both in the clinic and at home to diagnose a wide range of conditions and diseases, but none of them can discern the severity of the condition or disease.
“In order to determine the severity of a disease, the patient needs to conduct a blood test at a hospital or specialised laboratory, with results taking between half to an entire day, and sometimes even longer.”
Biosensorix has already developed the technology for the diagnosis of dengue hemorrhagic fever.
The firms are further advancing the sensor to assess stroke severity and identify a secondary stroke early.
They are formulating the new diagnostic kit to analyse a blood sample for specific biomarkers after an ischemic stroke.
Biosensorix CEO Dr Lukas Fajs said: “At the price range of $5 per kit, our new diagnostic kit presents a breakthrough in diagnosis.
“Medical staff will be able to receive immediate results and decide on a course of action, instead of sending the patient to the lab and waiting for the results.”
