MEDIA RELEASE PR35230
Enigma Diagnostics Announces Successful Evaluation of the Enigma FL by the UK's
Veterinary Laboratories Agency
PORTON DOWN, June 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Enigma Diagnostics Limited, the decentralised and point-of-care molecular diagnostics
company, announced today successful independent testing for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) by
the Veterinary Laboratories Agency to
evaluate the performance of the Enigma FL (Field Laboratory).
BVD is considered to be one of the main threats to cattle (1), affecting
the majority of herds in the UK. It is closely related to classical swine
fever virus, a serious disease of pigs, and to border disease virus, which
infects sheep.
The Enigma FL instrument was used to analyse more than 100 blood samples
that had already been screened by antigen ELISA and a laboratory-based RT-PCR
for the presence of the BVD virus. Approximately half of the samples were
proved BVDV positive by the laboratory-based PCR. With the level of
concordance between the two tests being above 97%, this confirmed the Enigma
FL system can produce laboratory-standard results with a high degree of
confidence.
The Enigma FL has been designed for easy operation. Tests are provided in
a single-use cartridge that can be stored at room temperature. The Enigma FL
provides a PCR result in less than one hour, a timescale needed to allow
field-based & pen-side diagnosis. On-site testing removes delays from
transport of samples to the laboratory, which can often take days. The system
requires minimal training and its utility for "pen-side" testing for BVD has
already been demonstrated.(2)
John McKinley, Chairman and CEO of Enigma, stated: "The Enigma
Diagnostics tests could be deployed for the related viral diseases, such as
classical swine fever, with minor modifications. The system itself is broadly
applicable to many other veterinary pathogens, such as TB in cattle,
bacterial infections and other viral infections, such as foot and mouth
disease and avian influenza. Allowing vets to use advanced molecular
diagnosis in the field will enhance their efficiency in managing endemic and
exotic disease outbreaks identifying diseased animals and as importantly,
non-infected ones and improve their surveillance capability."
Contacts
UK Contact:
Enigma Diagnostics
Deborah Cordingley
deborah.cordingley@enigmadiagnostics.com
+44 1980 590131
US Contact:
Richard Lewis Communications, Inc.
212-827-0020
Gregory Tiberend - Media
gtiberend@rlcinc.com
Cecelia Heer - Investors
cheer@rlcinc.com
About Enigma Diagnostics Limited
Enigma Diagnostics Limited is a private UK based company
specialising in developing the next generation of rapid molecular diagnostic
instrument platforms for decentralised and point-of-care settings.
Enigma's innovative and proprietary technology combines the
speed and sensitivity of real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) with the
simplicity needed for field-based, decentralised and point-of-care tests
providing results from a raw sample in less than 45 minutes.
The Company is targeting a number of multi-billion pound
markets, core among which are the Clinical and high value Applied Markets.
Enigma's commercialisation strategy is to maximise revenues from a continuous
flow of market leading rapid diagnostic point-of care and in-field instrument
and assay platforms, derived from its broad Intellectual Property portfolio
of issued and filed patents. Enigma will partner with market leaders where
global penetration of markets is required and where appropriate will build an
in-house sales and marketing capability to direct distribution of its
products.
Enigma has an exclusive licence from the Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory to a portfolio of patents, which represent over 15
years of UK Ministry of Defence funded research and has licences from Applied
Biosystems and Celera Licences for the commercialisation of real-time PCR
instruments. Enigma's R&D activities have generated a portfolio of over 50
plus worldwide patent families dedicated to real-time PCR and wider molecular
technologies. Many of these patents are granted across a range of core
commercial territories including US, EU and Japan with more extensive filing
and grants across a number of other key territories.
SOURCE Enigma Diagnostics Limited
CONTACT: UK Contact:
Deborah Cordingley,
+44-1980-590131, or
deborah.cordingley@enigmadiagnostics.com of Enigma Diagnostics;
US Contact:
Gregory Tiberend - Media, gtiberend@rlcinc.com, or
Cecelia Heer - Investors,
cheer@rlcinc.com, both of Richard Lewis Communications, Inc.,
+1-212-827-0020, for Enigma Diagnostics
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