NEW YORK (360Dx) – Bio-Techne said today that it has inked a strategic agreement with Micropoint Bioscience, developer of a microfluidic chip for point-of-care testing based in Shenzhen, China.
Bio-Techne said that under the agreement, the firms will collaborate to strengthen the integration of its ProteinSimple Ella microfluidic instrument, a fully automated multianalyte immunoassay, to develop "better and more accurate" point-of-care diagnostic tools for the Chinese market.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"Diagnostic decisions are increasingly being driven by cytokine- and growth factor-related profiles in circulating body fluids," Bio-Techne President and CEO Chuck Kummeth said in a statement said. "This creates the need for a testing platform that can accommodate more complex biomarker signatures."
Kummeth noted that to address emerging diagnostic markets and needs, access to high-quality reagents is necessary for expanding test options. Bio-Techne's antibody product lines are used to functionalize research and diagnostic instruments, and they are core components of biomarker assay platforms.
The microfluidic diagnostic chip from Micropoint Bioscience will advance POC testing by shrinking tests so that minimal volumes of samples and reagents are required, Bio-Techne said.
Micropoint Chairman Yan Pingyi said that the collaboration enables the firm to develop diagnostic tools for monitoring patients' responses to cancer immunotherapy and identifying potential adverse effects, such as cytokine-release syndrome.
He noted that Micropoint, which was recently listed in China, understands the China diagnostics market and has developed the regulatory infrastructure needed to serve it.
Today's deal follows an agreement reached in June for Bio-Techne to acquire Exosome Diagnostics for up to $575 million.
Bio-Techne acquired Advanced Cell Diagnostics for $325 million in 2016, launching it into the genomics space. Earlier this year, the firm said that it planned to create a new division for the genomic technology acquired with the ACD deal.