TIDMNCYT
RNS Number : 6347N
Novacyt S.A.
02 February 2021
Novacyt S.A.
("Novacyt", the "Company" or the "Group")
Launch of PCR genotyping assay portfolio to detect COVID-19
variants
Paris, France and Camberley, UK - 2 February 2021 - Novacyt (
EURONEXT GROWTH: ALNOV; AIM: NCYT ), an international specialist in
clinical diagnostics, announces the launch of a new and innovative
portfolio of
assays (under the brand name SNPsig(R) ) to aid the diagnosis of the new variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Novacyt's existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19
portfolio remains highly accurate in detecting all published
SARS-CoV-2 variants. T he launch of the new SNPsig (R) portfolio
complements and expands the Company's offering into the rapidly
evolving requirement for PCR genotyping of variants.
As noted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants emerged in late 2020. The three most
notable variants were originally identified by their reporting
origin, the UK (20I/501Y.V1 or B.1.1.7), South Africa (20H/501Y.V2
or B.1.351) and Brazil (20J/501Y.V3 or B.1.1.28) but are now
prevalent globally(1) . The emergence of these variants has been
reported across Europe, in 32 US states(2) , Japan, Africa and
Latin America and is expected to significantly impact the clinical
care of individual patients, local community disease control and
national epidemiological strategies(3) , due to suggested evidence
that these variants are associated with an increase in mortality
and transmission(4) .
The tracking of variants could also contribute to the
effectiveness of vaccination efforts, especially if, as described
in recent publications, the emergence of variants may have an
impact on vaccine efficaciousness(5) . The SNPsig (R) assays offer
the ability to track variants on-site and to generate a result in
hours, compared to the current approach of next generation
sequencing, which is typically constrained by limited capacity,
cost and an off-site multi-day turnaround.
Novacyt's bioinformatics surveillance group has worked with a
global network of virologists tracking variants to identify the
mutations, or Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), critical to
each variant. From this analysis, Novacyt has developed and
patented the SNPsig(R) portfolio, which is one of the first
commercially available for variant detection. The first three
SNPsig(R) assays, launched today, enable the identification of the
non-variant virus and the UK, South Africa or Brazil variants, as
well as any variant carrying the N501Y mutation.
The next product in the SNPsig (R) portfolio, planned to launch
shortly, will be an assay panel, known as VariPLEX(TM), to detect
these three variants and two other key mutations identified by the
World Health Organization(6) in a single test. Novacyt's
bioinformatics surveillance group remains highly vigilant and, as
significant new mutations are identified, these will be added to
the SNPsig(R) portfolio.
The SNPsig(R) assays are designed to run on central laboratory
systems and on the Company's q16 and q32 rapid PCR systems as
research-use-only products. The Company expects to launch the
regulatory approved clinical diagnostic assays next month.
Of note, the first three SNPsig(R) assays are also being
deployed to an international consortium of leading academic and
public health laboratories in the UK, Europe, US and Latin
America(7) , assembled by Novacyt to support a global variant
diagnostic surveillance study.
Graham Mullis, Chief Executive Officer of Novacyt, commented
:
"It is clear that we must stay highly vigilant as SARS-CoV-2
continues to mutate and may, therefore, remain as a global threat
for many years. Diagnostic companies have a key role to play in
aiding the clinical diagnosis of the variants of greatest concern.
We are therefore pleased to announce the rapid development and
launch of this portfolio of PCR genotyping assays for the
identification of specific new SARS-CoV-2 variants. With this
launch, Novacyt continues to demonstrate its ability to remain at
the forefront of this rapidly evolving field, with market-leading
intelligence and expertise that allows us to support scientists and
clinicians around the world in the fight against this
pandemic."
- End -
Contacts
Novacyt SA
Graham Mullis, Chief Executive Officer
James McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer
+44 (0)1276 600081
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nominated Adviser and
Broker)
Matthew Johnson / Charlie Bouverat (Corporate Finance)
Vadim Alexandre / Rob Rees (Corporate Broking)
+44 (0)20 3470 0470
Numis Securities Limited (Joint Broker)
Freddie Barnfield / James Black
+44 (0)20 7260 1000
Allegra Finance (French Listing Sponsor)
Rémi Durgetto / Yannick Petit
+33 (1) 42 22 10 10
r.durgetto@allegrafinance.com ; y.petit@allegrafinance.com
FTI Consulting (International)
Victoria Foster Mitchell / Alex Shaw / Mary Whittow
+44 (0)20 3727 1000
victoria.fostermitchell@fticonsulting.com /
alex.shaw@fticonsulting.com / mary.whittow@fticonsulting.com
FTI Consulting (France)
Arnaud de Cheffontaines
+33 (0)147 03 69 48
arnaud.decheffontaines@fticonsulting.com
About Novacyt Group
The Novacyt Group is an international diagnostics business
generating an increasing portfolio of in vitro and molecular
diagnostic tests. Its core strengths lie in diagnostics product
development, commercialisation, contract design and manufacturing.
The Company's lead business units comprise of Primerdesign and
Lab21 Products, supplying an extensive range of high-quality assays
and reagents worldwide. The Group directly serves microbiology,
haematology and serology markets as do its global partners, which
include major corporates.
For more information, please refer to the website:
www.novacyt.com
[1]
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/scientific-brief-emerging-variants.html
2
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html
3
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-risk-related-to-spread-of-new-SARS-CoV-2-variants-EU-EEA.pdf
4 NERVTAG paper on COVID-19 variant of concern B.1.1.7
(publishing.service.gov.uk)
5 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776039
6 https://www.who.int/csr/don/21-december-2020-sars-cov2-variant-united-kingdom/en/
7 UK: University of B'ham, Cambridge, Edinburgh and QMUL,
Europe: Gibraltar; USA: Oklahoma, Texas; Latin America: Mexico,
Colombia and / or Dominican Republic
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