Norgen Biotek to Develop Diagnostic Kits for use in Resource-Limited Areas

March 03, 2011 | Thorold, ON

THOROLD, ON, March 3 /CNW/ - Norgen Biotek recently received a financial contribution of over $800,000 from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Norgen Biotek is an innovative Canadian biotechnology company focusing primarily on advancing powerful tools for nucleic acids (NA) and protein purification and preservation, as well as developing leading-edge diagnostic tools. This funding will allow Norgen to develop new point of care diagnostic technologies which are targeted for use in resource-limited settings. These technologies will be geared toward the development of non-invasive, urine-based, rapid detection systems for the diagnosis of a panel of sexually transmitted infections, in addition to other diseases such as Tuberculosis. Norgen will be collaborating in this R&D effort with an established Spanish diagnostic company in order to roll out and productize the newly developed technologies.

Norgen Biotek makes best-in-class products for nucleic acid and protein sample preparation, and has recognized that high quality sample preparation is the key to high quality diagnostics. Norgen recently launched a line of diagnostic products for research use that includes kits for the diagnosis of human pathogens, plant pathogens and food-borne pathogens. Now, with this new funding, Norgen will focus on the development of point-of-care human diagnostic kits for use in resource-limited areas, as well as for home use testing. Furthermore, these new technologies will rely on the use of non-invasive specimens such as urine and saliva for ease of use and cost reduction. Norgen's purification technology is extremely well suited for use in resource-limited settings, as Norgen's resin is able to isolate and concentrate DNA, RNA and proteins from samples without the use of centrifugation or other equipment.

"I am very delighted that NRC-IRAP is supporting this very important research project. Such funding will help us in the transitioning of our powerful nucleic acid isolation technology into diagnostics applications. The quality of a diagnostic test is only as good as the quality of the sample preparation, and as leaders in sample preparation we are in an ideal position to make first-in-class diagnostics especially for resource limited areas." said Dr. Haj-Ahmad, President & CEO of Norgen Biotek. "Currently, we produce the leading products for the isolation of high quality RNA, DNA and proteins from urine, and therefore we anticipate to develop first-in-class urine-based diagnostic tests for the detection of sexually transmitted infections. These point of care tests can be used in resource limited areas, as well as for home use. Moreover, once validated such a platform shall be applied to other diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, etc" added Dr. Haj-Ahmad.

About Norgen Biotek Corp.

Norgen Biotek, an ISO 13485:2003 and ISO 9001:2008 registered company, is a rapidly growing Canadian biotech company committed to providing innovative products and services to the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. Norgen has developed technologies and products for the purification of nucleic acids and proteins on both preparative and industrial scales, including ready-to-use chromatography resins and pre-packed chromatography columns. Norgen is seeking partners to conduct clinical testing and obtain regulatory approvals for their new line of non-invasive diagnostic kits, as well as other modalities of business opportunities.

For further information contact:

Dr. Yousef Haj-Ahmad, President & CEO,
Norgen Biotek Corp.,
Phone: (905) 227-8848,
Fax: (905) 227-1061,
Email: yha@norgenbiotek.com