NEW YORK (360Dx) – GE, the Global Good Fund, and Access Bio today announced a licensing agreement to manufacture and distribute diagnostic technologies aimed at rapidly identifying asymptomatic malaria in low-resource nations.
The new diagnostics technologies were codeveloped by scientists and engineers at GE's Global Research Center and Global Good. The deal covers a highly sensitive diagnostic test that identifies proteins present in malaria and Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of malarial parasites. The deal also covers technology for the development of malarial serology tests for Plasmodium antibodies that can measure a patient's past exposure to the disease.
"Significantly enhancing the sensitivity of malaria rapid diagnostic tests addresses gaps in rapid diagnostics that will bring us closer to eliminating the deadly disease in more and more regions around the world," said Maurizio Vecchione, executive vice president of Global Good & Research. The fund is a collaboration between Intellectual Ventures and Bill Gates, and invents technologies to better life in low- and middle-income countries.
"With our commercialization experience and mass production facilities, Access Bio will be able to fully accommodate the commercialization of the highly sensitive RDTs at affordable prices," added Access Bio CEO Young Ho Choi. "These tests will be the next generation of diagnostic testing and a big step toward the eradication of malaria."
The firm develops in vitro diagnostic tests leveraging immunochemical, biochemical, and molecular technologies.