genedrive PLC (AIM:GDR, FRA:D6M) has signed a collaboration agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, sending its shares up 8% to 1.4p.
The point-of-care pharmacogenetic testing company will develop a high-throughput laboratory test under the deal.
The new test detects variants in the CYP2C19 gene, which influences how patients respond to the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel after a stroke.
It will be designed to run on Thermo Fisher's QuantStudio 5 Dx real-time PCR laboratory platform.
The collaboration gives genedrive access to a large global installed base of laboratory diagnostic machines, opening up a new market segment.
The kit targets centralised, high-throughput laboratory testing, addressing a different segment to the company's existing rapid, near-patient test.
Together, the two products position genedrive to serve both decentralised and laboratory-based testing pathways.
The new kit is on track for UK certification around the end of 2026, initially targeting the NHS genomic laboratory market.
Testing to guide clopidogrel use after stroke is recommended by health watchdog NICE, which supports laboratory-based genotyping.
The company highlighted a sizeable opportunity, with around 100,000 new stroke patients in the UK each year and 94 million people living with the effects of stroke globally.
Chief executive Gino Miele said the deal expanded genedrive's offering into the high-throughput market while complementing its established point-of-care solution.
