Microbix Biosystems Inc. (
TSX: MBX, OTCQX: MBXBF,
Microbix®), a life sciences innovator, manufacturer, and
exporter, announces its intentions to broaden its platform
capabilities to enable production of a wider range of test
ingredients (“
Antigens”) by using recombinant
production technologies. Directing existing in-house synthetic
biology capabilities to this project will create large-scale
recombinant Antigens production to complement and expand Microbix’s
addressable market share as a key supplier to manufacturers of
immunoassays – the class of diagnostic tests that establishes
exposure to, or immunity from, pathogens.
Microbix has been a leading producer of purified
and inactivated Antigens from native (natural) bacterial and viral
organisms for more than three decades. It supplies these critical
biological ingredients to more than 100 international manufacturers
of immunoassays where test accuracy is maximized by using such
Antigens. Microbix’s sales of native Antigens totaled C$ 13.8
million in fiscal 2024, an increase of 44% from the prior year and
generated from a catalogue of dozens of these complex and valuable
biomaterials.
However, to date Microbix has not broadly
participated in making Antigens using the recombination of genetic
materials from different species (i.e.,
“recombinant” technologies). Such recombinant
Antigens can have price advantages relative to native Antigens and
are the choice of immunoassay makers in situations where they can
be used without sacrificing assay performance. Microbix offering
recombinant Antigens will increase the extent to which it can grow
sales of this important segment of its business.
Microbix has therefore decided to fund the
augmentation of its internal capabilities in synthetic biology in
order to build the processes and capacity for production of
recombinant Antigens. This will entail adding trained staff,
equipment, biological vectors, and cell-lines. With the
infrastructure and capabilities already built-out over the past
several years, the incremental investment needed to drive the
opening of these new market opportunities will be modest, at about
C$ 0.5 million per year.
Cameron Groome, CEO & President of Microbix,
commented, “With our improved financial position and greater
internal capabilities, we are now moving to fully resource a
recombinant antigens program. By year-end 2025, this initiative
will increase our total addressable market by way of providing
existing and new customers with a broader range of
infectious-disease antigens and at a variety of price points.”
Dr. Ken Hughes, COO of Microbix, also commented,
“Few, if any, companies have keener insight than Microbix regarding
how recombinant antigens must perform to effectively emulate their
native versions, which will provide material benefits to our
test-maker clients. Additionally, we will use our recombinant
antigens as ingredients for our QAPs® test-controls – providing an
immediate internal client to provide performance validation for
external customers while also strengthening our supply chain.”
Purchase enquiries for Microbix Antigens can be
e-mailed to customer.service@microbix.com.
About Microbix Biosystems
Inc.Microbix Biosystems Inc. creates proprietary
biological products for human health, with over 100 skilled
employees and sales now targeting C$ 2.0 million or more per month.
It makes and exports a wide range of critical ingredients and
devices for the global diagnostics industry, notably antigens for
immunoassays and its laboratory quality assessment products (QAPs™)
that support clinical lab proficiency testing, enable assay
development and validation, or help ensure the quality of clinical
diagnostic workflows. Its antigens drive the antibody tests of
approximately 100 diagnostics makers, while QAPs are sold to
clinical lab accreditation organizations, diagnostics companies,
and clinical labs. Microbix QAPs are now available in over 30
countries, supported by a network of international distributors.
Microbix is ISO 9001 & 13485 accredited, U.S. FDA registered,
Australian TGA registered, Health Canada establishment licensed,
and provides IVDR-compliant CE marked products.
Microbix also applies its biological expertise
and infrastructure to develop other proprietary products and
technologies, most notably Kinlytic® urokinase, a biologic
thrombolytic drug used to treat blood clots, and reagents or media
to support molecular diagnostic testing (e.g., its DxTM™ for
patient-sample collection). Microbix is traded on the TSX and
OTCQX, and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Forward-Looking InformationThis
news release includes “forward-looking information,” as such term
is defined in applicable securities laws. Forward-looking
information includes, without limitation, discussion of recombinant
Antigen plans or their relevance, Microbix’s or others’ products or
services, business and business results, goals or outlook, risks
associated with financial results and stability, development
projects such as those referenced in its presentations, regulatory
compliance and approvals, sales to foreign jurisdictions,
engineering and construction, production (including control over
costs, quality, quantity or timeliness of delivery), currency
exchange rates, maintaining adequate working capital or raising new
capital on acceptable terms or at all, and other similar statements
about anticipated future events, conditions or results that are not
historical facts. These statements reflect management’s current
estimates, beliefs, intentions, and expectations; they are not
guarantees of future performance. Microbix cautions that all
forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and actual
performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many
of which are beyond its control. Accordingly, actual future events,
conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates,
beliefs, intentions, and expectations expressed or implied in the
forward-looking information. All statements are made as of the date
of this news release and represent Microbix’s judgement as of the
date of this new release, and it is under no obligation to update
or alter any forward-looking information.
Please visit https://microbix.com or www.sedar.com
for recent Microbix news and filings.
For further information, please contact Microbix
at:
Cameron Groome, CEO(905) 361-8910 |
Jim Currie, CFO(905) 361-8910 |
Deborah Honig, Investor RelationsAdelaide Capital Markets(647)
203-8793 ir@microbix.com |
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Copyright © 2025 Microbix Biosystems Inc.
Microbix®, DxTM™, Kinlytic®, and QAPs™ are trademarks of Microbix
Biosystems Inc.
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