BATM Advanced Communications Ld Update on Ador Diagnostics (6242I)
December 15 2020 - 1:00AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMBVC
RNS Number : 6242I
BATM Advanced Communications Ld
15 December 2020
LEI: 213800FLQUB9J289RU66
15 December 2020
BATM Advanced Communications Limited
("BATM" or "the Group")
Update on Ador Diagnostics
Ador develops new RCA technology to provide diagnostics results
in under 30 minutes
Investment of $10m to expedite RCA progress
BATM (LSE: BVC; TASE: BVC), a leading provider of real-time
technologies for networking solutions and medical laboratory
systems, is pleased to provide the following progress update on its
Ador Diagnostics S.r.l. ("Ador") associate company. Ador is
developing the NATlab molecular biology solution that provides
rapid sample-to-answer diagnosis of bacterial, viral or fungal
infections using DNA or RNA sampling.
Development of innovative RCA-based diagnostics
Ador has developed a new innovative technology based on the
polymerase chain reaction ("PCR") process as well as an isothermal
method called rolling circle amplification ("RCA") to enable NATlab
to increase the speed of providing sample-to-answer diagnostics to
under 30 minutes.
RCA-based molecular diagnosis offers significant advantages
compared with the PCR process. Due to the different methods for
replicating the genetic material in a sample, RCA is less prone to
errors and the reaction with the test material occurs in c. 15-20
minutes compared with c. 60-90 minutes for PCR. As a result, the
NATlab system will now be able to provide test results in a
significantly shorter amount of time and with greater accuracy than
first envisaged.
The NATlab can analyse several pathogens (currently up to 400)
at the same time thus enabling it to detect all the possible
pathogens associated with diseases such as meningitis, sepsis and
respiratory diseases. By accurately detecting the right strain of a
disease, the correct treatment can be started immediately -
something that is not possible with the PCR methods that exist
today. In addition, the development timeframe for the NATlab to be
able to test for new pathogens is up to 10 times shorter than for
existing solutions, which would be a significant advantage during
epidemics and pandemics of a novel disease.
The NATlab system consists of a benchtop stackable or daisy
chained analyser and disposable cartridges. The patented cartridges
contain a carbon array, which is where the testing of a DNA or RNA
sample - whether in blood, urine or any other bodily liquid -
occurs. The carbon array system enables Ador to print the core of
the cartridge, which makes it far more cost effective than any
known system. Several NATlabs can be cascaded or stacked and report
results to each other via advanced AI-based systems. The results
can be stored locally or on private or public clouds, with an
option to integrate cyber security protection provided by the
Group's Celare business or third parties to ensure the
confidentiality of the results.
Ador has successfully incorporated PCR in the carbon array and
has a working prototype of the NATlab system. It is now in the
advanced stages of incorporating RCA in the carbon array and is
working to complete the development of a full system based on this
process, which it expects to be ready for in-hospital trials in H1
2021. Several universities and hospitals, mainly in the UK, Europe,
Israel and the USA, are co-operating with Ador on this unique
development.
The Boards of Ador and of BATM believe that there is a
substantial market opportunity for an RCA-based sample-to-answer
solution that is able to be used at the point of care as well as in
laboratories for the diagnosis of infectious disease. The speed and
accuracy of identifying an infection can be vital in providing the
correct treatment and in containing potential disease outbreaks. As
a result, Ador has taken the strategic decision to focus its
resources on developing this ground-breaking technology while
continuing to advance its PCR-based NATlab system.
Investment of $10m into Ador
To expedite the development of the new RCA-based system, the
Group and all its partners in Ador have invested an additional
amount of $10m, of which BATM has contributed $3m, pursuant to an
amendment to the investment agreement announced on 28 January 2019.
Following this additional investment, the Group's shareholding in
Ador is 36.7%. The Group's partners continue to have an option (on
the same basis as previously disclosed) to invest a further $10m in
Ador.
Dr. Zvi Marom, Chief Executive Officer of BATM, said: "We are
very excited about this ground-breaking technology, developed in
Ador, which will enable the accurate diagnosis of infectious
diseases in less than 30 minutes. Alongside making great progress
with our PCR-based NATlab system, despite the challenges of the
pandemic, we are continually conducting research into new and
advanced technologies of the future. We believe RCA can
revolutionise the diagnosis of infectious diseases and we look
forward to using this new funding to rapidly take this innovative
technology to the next stage.
"The way that we have been able to react quickly to advance this
new technology, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, is testament to the
effort and investment BATM has made over the last nine years in
developing novel technologies for rapid detection of infectious
diseases. It is also the reason why there is great interest in our
achievements so far."
Enquiries:
BATM Advanced Communications
Dr Zvi Marom, Chief Executive Officer +972 9866 2525
Moti Nagar, Chief Financial Officer
Shore Capital
Mark Percy, Anita Ghanekar, James Thomas (Corporate Advisory)
Henry Willcocks (Corporate Broking) +44 20 7408 4050
Luther Pendragon
Harry Chathli, Claire Norbury +44 20 7618 9100
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