Affymetrix and PathGEN Dx have entered into an agreement for the development of an in-vitro diagnostic kit for pathogen detection.
Under the agreement, PathGEN Dx will use its PathGEN PathChip for the development of the kit, designed to detect more than 70,000 viral and bacterial genomes from a various human samples, annotate the genomic information as well as identify co-infecting pathogens.
The in-vitro diagnostic kit will comprise PathGEN Dx’s proprietary reagents, an automated software package, as well as Affymetrix’s GeneChip microarray.
PathGEN Dx co-founder Martin Hibberd said the development plan for a diagnostic microarray will help medical researchers and surveillance investigators to identify the full range of viruses and bacteria in their samples.
Affymetrix clinical applications business development senior director Roger Schaller said," This adds significantly to our PbA Program in which we help partners to develop novel molecular diagnostic tests that will potentially provide solutions for directing proper treatment for patients."
PathGEN Dx founder Christopher Wong said, "We are pleased to join the ranks of other PbA Program partners, such as Roche Diagnostics and Pathwork Diagnostics in adopting the Affymetrix technology in our IVD product development program."