Abionic teams up with Genentech to develop rapid Asthma test

In the U.S., 25 million people suffer from asthma, the majority of which have allergic asthma. Allergic asthma can be life threatening. This makes access to prompt, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment vital. Abionic's 5-minute point-of-care (POC) test will help physicians determine both total IgE as well as specific IgE levels to 5 major perennial allergens associated with allergic asthma.

For the development and the launch Abionic has teamed up with Genentech. They plan to provide an In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Asthma Test Panel using Abionic’s POC abioSCOPE platform in the United States. Abionic’s POC abioSCOPE, a compact, ultra-fast medical device powered by a patented nanofluidic technology, determines blood levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), an underlying cause of allergic asthma. The platform provides lab-quality results in five minutes from a single drop of blood at the POC, enabling rapid diagnosis and the possibility of immediate treatment initiation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Abionic will carry out all pre-market process requirements for a specific Asthma Test Panel to quantify total IgE as well as IgE levels to 5 major perennial allergens associated with allergic asthma. Genentech will fund all clinical and regulatory costs for the tests.

“At Abionic we are focused on delivering true patient-centric diagnostic solutions, which means a rapid, reliable test available at any time, from anywhere, whenever a patient needs it. The agreement with Genentech, a leader in developing novel medicines in respiratory diseases including allergic asthma, is a great step towards more personalized and precise diagnostics,” commented Nicolas Durand, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Abionic.

“Uncontrolled allergic asthma significantly affects people’s lives; the number of cases increased dramatically over the last 40 years with millions of patients being diagnosed annually in the US. This partnership is aligned with our commitment to Personalized Healthcare. Abionic’s abioSCOPE will allow for personalized POC testing making it easier for patients to be diagnosed.” said Iwan Märki, PhD, Chief Technical Officer of Abionic.