NEW YORK – BioMérieux has invested €2 million ($2.4 million) in French medtech startup Weezion to support further development of a mass spectrometry-based in vitro diagnostic for sepsis.
Weezion was founded in 2020 with core technology developed by researchers at the Institute of Infectious Agents at the Croix Rousse Hospital in Lyon, France, as well as the Institute of Analytical Sciences and the International Infectious Disease Research Centre of the Claude Bernard Lyon University.
The Weezion test system, called Weezion dx, subjects samples from positive blood cultures to a patented targeted mass spectrometry method, according to the firm's website. It identifies microorganisms causing sepsis and also detects and quantifies proteins that confer resistance to antibiotics in order to predict antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance within 90 minutes.
The investment translates to a 4.26 percent share in Weezion and will be accompanied by technical assistance from BioMérieux. In a statement, the firms noted that 80 percent of BioMérieux's research and development is devoted to antibiotic resistance.
"By working with a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, we are strengthening our ability to accelerate our time to market for the Weezion dx solution," said Hervé Brochette, founder and CEO of Weezion.
The next step for the startup is to complete automation of the industrial process, followed by a clinical pre-validation, with an expected launch in France in 2024.