NEW YORK – BGI Genomics of China and Eluthia of Germany said today that they have entered into a strategic partnership to develop reproductive genetic tests for the German market.
Under the agreement, Eluthia, a molecular diagnostics startup in Heidelberg, is offering BGI's noninvasive prenatal NIFTY test in Germany under the brand name PreviaTest.
Patient samples will be analyzed in BGI Genomics laboratories outside of Germany. BGI's Hong Kong laboratory, for example, is CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited, as well as compliant with the European General Data Protection Regulation. The companies are also exploring options for conducting testing in Germany in the future.
"We are delighted to launch NIFTY in Germany with Eluthia, and to expand access for German patients to a highly trusted and comprehensive NIPT solution," said David Shan, clinical testing sales director for BGI Genomics, in a statement. "By leveraging BGI's economies of scale and vast testing experience with Eluthia's local market knowledge and network, we are confident that we can grow sales of NIFTY in Germany very rapidly."
Eluthia already offers a newborn genetic screen, called ProviaTest, for a number of genetic conditions, including metabolic disorders, sex chromosome aneuploidies, and microdeletion syndromes. It also provides VarietyTest, a vaginal microbiome test.
"We are proud to launch with BGI the most comprehensive NIPT solution available on the German market," said Eluthia CEO Ramón Enríquez Schaefer in a statement.
NIFTY, which uses low-coverage whole-genome sequencing, screens for trisomies 21, 18, and 13 as well as for 93 other conditions, including additional trisomies, sex chromosomal aneuploidies, and microdeletion and microduplication syndromes.
According to BGI's website, NIFTY is offered by more than 2,000 healthcare providers in 52 countries.