- This licensing and co-development agreement leverages Mecwins’ ultrasensitive AVAC platform and Quidel’s extensive expertise in POC assay and cartridge development.
- Ultrasensitive POC testing will facilitate developing new tests, incorporating biomarkers and indications not possible with current technologies.
06/15/2021, Madrid, Spain – Mecwins announced that it has entered into a licensing and co-development agreement with Quidel Corporation, a leading manufacturer of diagnostic solutions at the point of care, to jointly develop a new testing platform capable of detecting and quantifying biomarkers in concentrations below picogram per ml level in the POC setting. This technology will enable the development of new tests requiring extreme sensitivity.
Mecwins will use its high throughput ultrasensitive AVAC technology and expertise to develop a POC analyzer according to Quidel´s requirements and Quidel will use its extensive expertise in cartridge and immunoassay development to design integrated POC tests that support multiple biological sample types.
The approach will use a combination of localized plasmonic resonance detection with a standard sandwich immunoassay format. Financial and other terms of the collaboration were not disclosed, but both companies have been collaborating since December 2019.
“Ultrasensitive detection and quantification will be a new area of biomarker discovery and validation. Ultrasensitive technologies, below picogram per ml level, are now being used for new biomarker discovery in multiple diagnostic indications: infectious disease, cardiac, inflammation, autoimmune, cancer, etc. Taking it near the patient in a POC setting for an immunodiagnostic assay represents a challenge, but also a great opportunity to develop tests for better, faster clinical decisions,” said Douglas Bryant, Quidel Chief Executive Officer.
Mecwins Chief Executive Officer, Oscar Ahumada, commenting on this agreement said that “this agreement validates Mecwins’ approach to develop ultrasensitive technologies for biomarker detection. Having the opportunity to collaborate with Quidel will allow us to access Quidel expertise in assay development and accelerate development and market introduction”.
Mecwins was founded in 2008 by Dr. Javier Tamayo and Dr. Montserrat Calleja, bionanomechanics group leaders from the Madrid-based Institute of Micro and Nanoelectronics (IMM – CSIC). Mecwins’ main objective is to develop and commercialize technology for the ultrasensitive detection of protein and RNA/DNA biomarkers. Mecwins’ team, composed of physicists, mathematicians, chemists, biologists and engineers, benefits from direct know-how through the relocation of scientists and executives with international experience. Mecwins’ high throughput ultrasensitive AVAC technology uses a combination of plasmonic technology with immunoassay format for the multiplexed detection of protein and RNA/DNA biomarkers in femtogram / ml concentrations and below.
