Validation of new protein multiplexing technology platform in the ophthalmic domain
AYOXXA, an international biotech company with headquarters in Cologne, has signed an agreement with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), one of the leading international eye research institutes. AYOXXA and SERI will work together on validating the company’s multiplexing technology platform for protein biomarker detection, as part of an expanded collaboration for developing ophthalmic diagnostic tools.
“We are pleased to start this collaboration with such a prestigious research institute like SERI,” said Michael Rasche, Corporate Vice President Global Commercial Operations of AYOXXA Biosystems GmbH. “By gaining access to very low-volume samples from the eye we can prove the benefits of our new protein multiplex technology beyond the research segment in clinical settings. We want to closely work with SERI in the ophthalmology space and potentially use our technology as new diagnostic application in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).”
“SERI has had a long and broad history of working with large and mid-size pharmaceutical and ophthalmic companies, and we are now keen to expand our collaboration scope to working with promising start-up companies from around the world, be it biotech, diagnostics or device companies, with our goal of positioning Singapore as one of the world hubs for innovative technology development in ophthalmology” said Prof. Tin Aung, Executive Director of SERI. ”The partnership with AYOXXA can potentially enable the co-development of a range of ophthalmic diagnostic tools, beginning with AMD. Having a validated diagnostic platform can potentially help better assess patients and more objectively steer their treatment. It can also potentially assist in the development of new treatments.”
Research teams led by Dr. Dieter Trau, Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the National University of Singapore and Co-founder of AYOXXA, and Prof. Wong Tien Yin, one of world’s top eye researchers and Medical Director at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), will closely work together during this pilot study.
About angiogenic retinal diseases (ARDs)
Angiogenic retinal diseases (ARDs) including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are the leading causes of blindness in elderly patients worldwide. Inflammation (cytokines) and growth factors are known to play a significant role in pathogenesis. Sensitive and reliable biomarker assays allow diagnosis and therapy monitoring. Samples need to be taken directly from the vitreous and aqueous compartments of patients’ eyes. The limitations of currently used biomarker evaluation include the demand for relatively large sample volumes, which in some patients, may be difficult to obtain without having to undergo a vitrectomy during surgery. Additionally, established tests are also time-consuming and expensive. As part of this pilot study, cytokine and growth factor concentrations in vitreous and aqueous patient samples will be determined using the AYOXXA human cytokine bioassays and compared with standard methods. Furthermore, the AYOXXA protein multiplexing technology will be challenged for reliability using very small sample quantities. The technology might offer a fast, sensitive, reliable and economic testing system for AMD and other ophthalmic diseases, as well as to enable therapy monitoring for the benefit of both, patients and clinicians.