NEW YORK – A US federal court will allow 10x Genomics to provide Vanderbilt University’s Vaccine Center with a new Chromium instrument configured to run GEM microfluidic chips to help respond to the 2019-nCoV coronavirus outbreak. 10x Genomics has been prohibited from selling so-called legacy instruments under an injunction issued by the US District Court for the District of Delaware, but the firm has been granted a one-time exception. Bio-Rad Laboratories, the plaintiff in the patent infringement suit that led to the injunction, agreed to the arrangement. Vanderbilt’s Vaccine Center requested the instrument to run 10x’s single-cell immune profiling assay on control samples, after it moved its existing Chromium instrument into a contained environment.
Chembio Diagnostics this week announced a $1.5 million purchase order from UNICEF for its multiplex Zika tests and Micro Readers, following the successful completion of conditions set forth in a previously announced long-term arrangement. The arrangement consists of a total opportunity of up to $3.5 million.
Chembio’s multiplex DPP Zika System allows simultaneous and discrete detection of antibodies for both active (IgM) and prior exposure (IgG) to the Zika virus.
Co-Diagnostics said this week that it has closed a previously announced registered direct offering of 3.3 million shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $3.08 per share in a registered direct offering priced at the market. Gross proceeds were approximately $10.2 million.
The company said it anticipates using net proceeds from the offering to acquire PCR equipment to be used in connection with sales of infectious disease test reagents. It also anticipates using the proceeds in connection with research and development costs associated with test development for additional pathogens and test-menu expansion, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
P4 Diagnostix, a network of diagnostic testing labs, announced this week it has acquired the assets of Strand Diagnostics. The buy includes Strand’s Know Error system for forensic DNA testing and its UroSeq testing panel for advanced prostate cancer. In an email, P4 Diagnostix VP of Business Development Brett Reilly declined to disclose the terms of the deal. He said that the great majority of Strand’s employees will be offered employment with P4 Diagnostix, which is based in Beltsville, Maryland. It also has labs in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona. All key members of Strand's operations are being retained and Strand will remain in Indianapolis, Reilly said.
CareDx announced this week that a magistrate judge for the US District Court for the District of Delaware has recommended the denial of Natera and Eurofins Viracor’s motions to dismiss CareDx’s patent infringement complaints against them.
CareDx has alleged that Natera’s and Viracor’s organ transplant products infringe CareDx’s patent rights. Natera and Viracor argued to the court that those patents are invalid because they cover ineligible subject matter. The magistrate judge has recommended to the district court judge that those arguments be rejected and the motions to dismiss be denied.
Centogene announced this week that its biorepository in Rostock, Germany has received accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). The CAP's Biorepository Accreditation Program is designed to improve the quality and consistency of biorepositories through requirements for standardization that will result in high-quality human specimens and genetic materials that can be used to support research.
Oncimmune reported this week that its revenues for the first half of 2019 were £310,000 ($404,000), compared to £120,000 in the first half of 2018. R&D costs were £1.0 million, up from £690,000. The firm’s comprehensive loss for H1 2019 after tax was £5.8 million, compared to £3.9 million in H1 2018. Oncimmune’s cash balance at the end of the period was £7.5 million.
In Brief This Week is a selection of news items that may be of interest to our readers but had not previously appeared on 360Dx.