LexaGene Holdings Inc (CVE:LXG) (OTCMKTS:LXXGF) (FRA:5XS2) has partnered with Ethos Discovery to expand the test menu offerings that can be run on its MiQLab system.
LexaGene said its 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. The panel detects 94% of the pathogens that cause UTI in cats and dogs.
Impressed by the coverage of tests included in LexaGene’s first validated panel, Ethos Discovery was an early adopter of the MiQLab technology -- and it is now interested in expanding the use cases for the MiQLab to help in the diagnosis of other diseases.
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To address its 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, LexaGene said it has decided to partner 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, and the pressing need for rapid differential diagnosis, respectively. These projects will be tackled in the stated order.
Need to drive sales
“Expanding our test menu is one of our priorities that will drive sales,” said Dr Jack Regan, LexaGene’s founder and CEO, in a statement. “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.”
Dr Regan added: “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.”
As part of this collaboration, LexaGene said 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.
Beverly, Massachusetts-based LexaGene said it 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.
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