LexaGene Partners with Ethos Discovery to Develop New Companion Animal Diagnostic Tests
June 03 2021 - 7:45AM
LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (TSX-V: LXG; OTCQB: LXXGF) (the
“
Company”), a molecular diagnostics company that
develops fully automated rapid pathogen detection systems, is
pleased to announce it has partnered with Ethos Discovery to expand
the test menu offerings that can be run on the MiQLab™ System.
LexaGene’s first validated panel, namely the MiQLab™ Bacterial
and AMR Test, was developed specifically for aiding in the
diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI), one of the most common
causes for veterinary visits in companion animals. This panel
detects 94% of the pathogens that cause UTI in cats and dogs and
screens for 13 different antimicrobial resistance targets that are
useful in determining the therapies best suited for treatment.
Impressed by the coverage of tests included in LexaGene’s first
validated panel, Ethos Discovery was an early adopter of the MiQLab
technology, and is now interested in expanding the use cases for
the MiQLab to help in the diagnosis of other disease conditions. To
address their needs, Ethos Discovery presented to LexaGene market
opportunity assessments for sepsis, effusions, chronic/complicated
wounds, pneumonia, diarrhea, joint diseases, seizures,
hemangiosarcoma, and tick-borne infections. After in depth
discussions, as a first step, LexaGene has decided to partner with
Ethos Discovery on prioritizing the development of panels specific
for severe pneumonia, diarrhea, and effusions. These were chosen
due to the clinical importance of correctly identifying the cause
of respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses which can potentially
be zoonotic, the sheer number of diarrhea cases in the US per year
(~500K based on Ethos estimate), and the pressing need for rapid
differential diagnosis, respectively. These projects will be
tackled in the stated order.
Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGene’s Founder and CEO, states, “Expanding
our test menu is one of our priorities that will drive sales. It is
very important for LexaGene to continually invest in developing new
tests so that the MiQLab can be used as a valued point of care
instrument that can serve a diversity of unmet needs in veterinary
medicine. I’m thrilled to work with Ethos Discovery on further
expanding the utility of the MiQLab system. Collaborations like
this will result in many more sales in the future, as the value
proposition for adopting MiQLab increasingly becomes an obvious
choice. Our goal is to make shipping samples for disease testing to
a reference laboratory a business model of the past, as this type
of testing should really be done inside the clinic where fast time
to result has the biggest impact on the quality of care and patient
outcomes.”
Dr. Chand Khanna, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Onc), the President of Ethos
Discovery, comments, “We are excited to be adding value to
LexaGene’s MiQLab system. We strongly feel that in-clinic PCR-based
disease testing is the future for veterinary medicine. These new
disease-specific panels will greatly increase the utility of the
MiQLab in the hospital and I would expect these additional
offerings will encourage many veterinary practices to adopt the
technology.”
As part of this collaboration, Ethos Discovery is providing
consulting services for the identification of the relevant targets
in each panel based on disease prevalence, the magnitude of the
unmet need, and alignment with the MiQLab technology. These panels
will include additional tests for species of bacteria not covered
in the UTI panel, as well as new tests for viruses, protozoa, fungi
and other disease targets. LexaGene will develop and validate these
tests for each of the target organisms and antimicrobial markers,
and use Ethos Veterinary Health’s Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital in
the greater Denver area for clinical validation studies, which are
anticipated to start for the pneumonia panel in late summer/early
fall.
To be added to the LexaGene email list, please subscribe on the
Company website.
On Behalf of the Board of DirectorsDr.
Jack ReganChief Executive Officer &
Chairman
For inquiries: 800.215.1824 | ir@lexagene.com or
info@lexagene.com
About LexaGene Holdings Inc.LexaGene is a
molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic
systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other
molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary
diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as
clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense. End-users
simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a
sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press ‘go’. The
MiQLab™ system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and
breadth of detection and can return results in approximately two
hours. The unique open-access feature is designed for custom
testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays
onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest.
About Ethos DiscoveryEthos Discovery is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization devoted to delivering innovations
that will improve the outcome for pets and humans afflicted with
complex medical problems. Ethos Veterinary Health, LLC formed Ethos
Discovery to conduct nonprofit scientific research to advance
veterinary and human medical science in December 2016. For more
information, visit https://www.ethosdiscovery.org
About Ethos Veterinary HealthEthos is a
veterinary health company with hospitals across the U.S. providing
advanced medical care for pets. Our approach includes a focus on
transformative science, continuous learning and growth for team
members and collaboration. For more information, visit
https://www.ethosvet.com
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passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither
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Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider
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this release.
This news release contains forward-looking information, which
involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
that may cause actual events to differ materially from current
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only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims
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