OpGen Subsidiary Curetis and FIND Sign R&D Collaboration Agreement for Unyvero A30 RQ Platform
20 September 2022 - 9:30PM
OpGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPGN, “OpGen” or “the Company”), a precision
medicine company harnessing the power of molecular diagnostics and
bioinformatics to help combat infectious disease, today announced
the signing of an R&D collaboration agreement with FIND, the
global alliance for diagnostics, for the Unyvero A30 RQ platform
for use in rapid pathogen ID and AMR testing from blood culture
samples in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
The Unyvero A30 RQ platform is a sample to
answer instrument running a disposable one-time use cartridge that
can test for up to 33 diagnostic targets from a single specimen.
Time to result can be as fast as under 30 minutes for very simple
tests and around 45 to 90 minutes for most applications. Given the
favorable cost of goods profile of both the instrument as well as
the disposable cartridge, this system also lends itself to being
deployed in LMICs with constrained resources.
During the anticipated feasibility project,
OpGen’s R&D team at its German subsidiary Curetis GmbH will
strive to develop a molecular test panel providing a comprehensive
set of pathogen ID and AMR detection assays, develop an easy to
perform workflow being compatible with available blood culture
systems in target regions without any need for separate sample
preparation steps and to adapt some key features of the A30 RQ
platform important for use in environments often found in LMICs,
such as those with continuous operation with unstable power
grids.
Oliver Schacht, President & CEO of OpGen,
commented, “We are excited to partner with FIND, in demonstrating
that our Unyvero A30 RQ platform is ideally suited to being used in
LMICs for rapid detection of AMR which is a truly global issue that
must be addressed in a multilateral and indeed global fashion. The
R&D contract and associated funding will support the required
R&D efforts on our side and expedite such development.”
Cecilia Ferreyra, Director of AMR at FIND, said:
“AMR is one of the most pressing health emergencies of our time,
with the potential to undo decades of medical progress. Simplifying
blood culture systems so that the pathogen responsible for an
illness and its resistance profile can both be identified quickly
is crucial for halting and preventing this silent pandemic,
especially in LMICs that bear the greatest burden of AMR.”
If successful, after demonstrating feasibility and completing
this initial R&D project phase, both parties have agreed to
discuss the option of a potential future collaboration and
commercialization agreement between OpGen and FIND. Such future
collaboration agreement would aim to bring the Unyvero A30 RQ
platform and initial application products through required clinical
studies and regulatory approvals in LMICs to make them commercially
available at an attractive cost profile to commercial distribution
partners, which we believe can address this unmet medical need for
rapid AMR detection in LMICs.
About OpGen, Inc. OpGen, Inc.
(Rockville, MD, USA) is a precision medicine company harnessing the
power of molecular diagnostics and bioinformatics to help combat
infectious disease. Along with our subsidiaries, Curetis GmbH and
Ares Genetics GmbH, we are developing and commercializing molecular
microbiology solutions helping to guide clinicians with more rapid
and actionable information about life threatening infections to
improve patient outcomes, and decrease the spread of infections
caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms, or MDROs. OpGen’s
current product portfolio includes Unyvero, Acuitas AMR Gene Panel,
and the ARES Technology Platform including ARESdb, NGS technology
and AI-powered bioinformatics solutions for antibiotic response
prediction including ARESiss, ARESid, and AREScloud, as well as the
Curetis CE-IVD-marked PCR-based SARS-CoV-2 test kit.
For more information, please visit www.opgen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements regarding
the R&D collaboration agreement entered into by OpGen’s
subsidiary Curetis GmbH and FIND, the global foundation for
innovative new diagnostics. These statements and other statements
regarding OpGen’s future plans and goals constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and are intended to qualify for the safe
harbor from liability established by the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict, are beyond
our control, and which may cause results to differ materially from
expectations. Factors that could cause our results to differ
materially from those described include, but are not limited to,
the success of our commercialization efforts, our ability to
successfully, timely and cost-effectively develop, seek and obtain
regulatory clearance for and commercialize our product and services
offerings, the rate of adoption of our products and services by
hospitals and other healthcare providers, the fact that we may not
effectively use proceeds from recent financings, the continued
realization of expected benefits of our business combination
transaction with Curetis GmbH, the continued impact of COVID-19 on
the Company’s operations, financial results, and commercialization
efforts as well as on capital markets and general economic
conditions, our ability to satisfy debt obligations under our loan
with the European Investment Bank, the effect of the military
action in Russia and Ukraine on our distributors, collaborators and
service providers, our liquidity and working capital requirements,
the effect on our business of existing and new regulatory
requirements, and other economic and competitive factors. For a
discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties
associated with OpGen's business, please review our filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are
based on our expectations as of the date of this press release and
speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
OpGen:Oliver SchachtPresident and
CEOInvestorRelations@opgen.com
OpGen Press Contact:Matthew
Bretzius FischTank Marketing and PR
matt@fischtankpr.com
OpGen Investor Contact:Alyssa
FactorEdison Groupafactor@edisongroup.com
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