SANTA CLARA, Calif., and SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 12, 2013 - Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) and Sera Prognostics Inc., a women's health company, today announced a strategic partnership to develop proteomic assays for the early prediction of pregnancy complications.
Sera Prognostics is currently developing a novel test for the early prediction of preterm birth risk using advanced proteomic science. Agilent is a leading provider of a wide range of analytical instrumentation, including liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and automation systems.
"By providing pivotal information to physicians, Sera's preterm birth predictor is designed to address an unmet medical need for a reliable, early risk assessment that has the potential to help significantly improve the health of mothers and newborns, while materially reducing the costs of care," said Gregory C. Critchfield, M.D., M.S., chairman and chief executive officer of Sera Prognostics. "Our partnership with Agilent provides Sera with access to advanced and innovative technologies designed to deliver on the promise of personalized medicine."
"Agilent and Sera Prognostics share the vision of applying the power of advanced proteomic technologies to address meaningful medical challenges," said Yvonne Linney, VP and general manager of Agilent's Life Science Solutions Division. "Agilent instrumentation is at the forefront of driving high-throughput workflows for sample preparation and mass-spec analysis that is critical in the field of proteomics."
As part of the partnership, Sera Prognostics purchased multiple Agilent 1290 Infinity ultra high-performance liquid chromatography systems, 6490 iFunnel triple quadrupole mass spectrometry systems and 1260 Infinity LC systems with ultraviolet detectors and is adapting Agilent's automated sample-preparation technologies for production.
The partners will develop high-throughput workflows for sample preparation and mass-spectrometry analysis. To meet the demands of high-volume testing, Sera Prognostics expects to leverage Agilent's novel automated sample-prep technology and other automation, including the AssayMAP Bravo and RapidFire fast liquid chromatography together with ultra-sensitive ion funnel triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.
About Sera Prognostics, Inc.
Sera Prognostics is a private biotechnology company developing novel diagnostic tests designed for the early prediction of preterm birth and other pregnancy complications, so that personalized, effective care can be given. These innovative tests have the potential of improving the health of both mothers and infants. In November 2011, Sera completed a Series A financing round of $19.3 million to develop its ProNid preterm birth predictor. The company has assembled a strong management team and board of directors with significant clinical development and women's health-care diagnostic experience. Sera is currently completing the world's largest clinical biomarker study focused on the validation of its ProNid test for predicting the risk of preterm birth. Sera is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit www.seraprognostics.com.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in chemical analysis, life sciences, diagnostics, electronics and communications. The company's 20,500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries. Agilent had revenues of $6.9 billion in fiscal 2012. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com.
Contact:
Eric Endicott, Agilent +1 408 553 2005
[email protected]
Andrew Sauter, CFO, Sera Prognostics, Inc.
+ 801 990-0772
[email protected]
Terri Clevenger, Continuum Health Communications, for Sera
+ 203 856-4326
[email protected]