NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Globavir Biosciences announced today that Bio-Rad Laboratories will license its PCR-based detection technology and assay for dengue virus detection.
Globavir's PanGlob assay improves diagnostic sensitivity and efficacy across four dengue serotypes, and it displays enhanced specificity for dengue over related viruses, the firm said. Globavir has obtained rights to develop and commercialize a dengue diagnostic test platform developed at Stanford University. Its diagnostic kits have received CE-mark approval.
Financial terms of Globavir's agreement with Bio-Rad were not disclosed.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection. Because the disease-carrying mosquito has spread globally, dengue infection affects approximately 390 million patients worldwide, the firm said. No specific treatment exists for the disease, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates to fewer than one percent.
In 2015, Globavir signed a deal with BioManguinhos, a division of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, to evaluate and develop the PanGlob RT-PCR Dengue diagnostic assay for commercial launch in Brazil. At the time, the firm said it was developing a point-of-care version of the test.