NEW YORK ─ Oxford Immunotec on Wednesday announced it has entered into an agreement for Tokyo-based Riken Genesis to exclusively distribute its T-Spot Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit in Japan for the detection and measurement of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells.
Financial and other details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Tokyo-based Riken Genesis, a subsidiary of Sysmex, provides products based on gene analysis for genetic testing as well as laboratory assay services.
"Riken’s strong channel to research customers in Japan will help broaden usage of our T-Spot Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit, which we believe will be able to make a significant contribution in informing how we can better manage the ongoing pandemic," Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO of Oxford Immunotec, said in a statement.
The Oxford, UK- and Marlborough, Massachusetts-based firm noted that its T-Spot Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit is already available for research use across Europe and the US.
Trial data recently released by Public Health England using the T-Spot Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit suggest that individuals with SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells but without detectible antibodies may be protected from infection, Oxford Immunotec said.