A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Luminex Molecular Diagnostics (LMD; Toronto Ontario), a division of Luminex (Austin, Texas), a developer of multiplexing solutions, has signed a global sales and distribution agreement with the molecular diagnostics business of Abbott (Abott Park, Illinois). Abbott will have exclusive right to distribute Luminex’s new xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP) worldwide outside the U.S. and semi-exclusive rights in the U.S.

Based on Luminex’s xMAP multiplexing technology, xTAG RVP was created by LMD, in partnership with a team of virologists and infectious disease specialists. In a matter of hours from a single patient sample, the test allows doctors to detect the presence or absence of several viruses and subtypes at once.

“We believe that xTAG RVP has the potential to significantly impact the detection, treatment, and control of respiratory viruses worldwide,” said Douglas Bryant, executive VP and COO of Luminex. “Abbott’s long-standing dedication to ... human health, combined with their global customer base, will make them a strong partner in bringing xTAG RVP to more physicians, public health authorities and patients around the world.”

xTAG RVP received FDA 510(k) clearance in January and was CE marked in November 2006.

In other agreements:

• McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) and Biotage (Uppsala, Sweden) said they have signed a two-year extension to a molecular imaging development agreement.

“We used the Biotage Initiator Microwave synthesis system, chromatography cartridges to prepare a range of Carborane Cage structures labeled with rhenium and technetium (Tc99c), the currently most used radionuclide in diagnostic medicine. We reported an 85% reduction in synthesis time and 26% gain in decay corrected yield, when compared to the traditional synthesis methods. The speed, purity and flexibility of this approach will drive the development of a new generation of novel molecular imaging agents,” said John Valliant, associate professor of chemistry and medical physics and acting director of McMaster Institute of Applied Radiation Sciences.

Based on the success of this first phase, both parties have agreed to a two-year extension of the work at McMaster. Valliant said, “The next research phase will expand microwave synthesis to a broader range of radionuclides and probes used in the PET imaging and as therapeutic agents.”

Torben Jörgensen, president/CEO of Biotage said, “Biotage’s mission has always been to develop innovative equipment and consumables that accelerate the drug discovery process. We are very pleased with Valliant’s research to advance the development of radiopharmaceuticals. He has clearly demonstrated the benefits of Biotage key technology to produce molecular imaging agents. The 2-years extension will provide practical solutions to the challenging issues that currently limit the development of novel imaging agents.”

• American Bio Medica (ABMC; Kinderhook, New York) reported a distribution agreement with Devor Global in the Republic of Panama.

Devor has been granted the exclusive right to distribute ABMC’s Rapid STAT oral fluid drug test and its Rapid TOX Cup urine-based drug test in Latin America, subject to achieving and maintaining annual volume requirements. Devor also has been granted the non-exclusive right to distribute the rest of ABMC’s product lines within the territories of Latin America.

ABMC is a biotechnology company that makes accurate, cost-effective immunoassay diagnostic test kits.

• Microfluidic Systems (MFSI; Fremont, California) said it has signed agreements with Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California) and Hamilton Sundstrand (Pomona, California) for the continued development and production of MFSI’s Bioagent Autonomous Networked Detector (BAND). These new systems in development are intended to improve the detection of airborne pathogens that could contaminate the air in a city or large region.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate has been funding BAND development for the past three years through Phases I-III of the BAND program, which is a government program dedicated to monitoring air quality, particularly focused on biosecurity threats, such as anthrax, plague and smallpox.