CHANTILLY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Finnish healthcare company Biohit Oyj and American company Dynex Technologies, Inc. have signed an agreement for the distribution of the two-microplate DS2®, four-microplate DSX® and 12-microplate Agility® automated ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) processing systems, for use with the Biohit Oyj GastroPanel. The agreement gives Biohit Oyj rights to distribute Dynex automated ELISA systems worldwide, effective immediately.
The Dynex automated ELISA systems, as part of the Biohit product portfolio, will improve the availability and usability of the GastroPanel. With the help of this integrated system solution, small and medium-sized laboratories will be able to perform GastroPanel easily and cost-effectively.
CEO Semi Korpela, Biohit Oyj: “Automated systems save time and resources, eliminate human errors, increase work safety and ensure high-quality results.”
Vice President of Sales & Marketing Duane Steele, Dynex: “Dynex is delighted to cooperate with Biohit to add the GastroPanel to our list of validated assays for our systems, further strengthening Dynex’s position as the global market leader in fully automated ELISA processing for the clinical market.”
Biohit in brief
Biohit Oyj is a globally operating Finnish biotechnology company established in 1988. Biohit’s mission is “Innovating for Health”. The purpose of the company is to take social responsibility and produce innovation, new technologies and analysis systems for use in medicine, research institutions and industry, helping to promote research and diagnostics and to improve the quality of life of people by means of preventing disease, human suffering and financial loss. We are committed to social responsibility and it is our duty to spread knowledge about the Group I human carcinogen, acetaldehyde, and innovate and develop the marketing and availability of our products and services. Biohit is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland and its subsidiaries are located in China, Italy and the United Kingdom. Since 1999, Biohit’s Series B shares (BIOBV) have been listed in the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Oy Small cap/Healthcare sector. www.biohithealthcare.com
Dynex Technologies in brief
Dynex (www.dynextechnologies.com) pioneered microplate technology more than 50 years ago, and has since delivered a series of cutting edge, best-of-class processing systems, including the 4-plate DSX and 2-plate DS2 systems, and the newly released Agility 12-plate system. Dynex designs each of its products to meet the rigorous demands of scientists in clinical, biomedical, and pharmaceutical development applications. Dynex is based in Chantilly, Virginia, USA, with locations in Hong Kong, Germany and the UK, and markets its products worldwide.
Additional information about the GastroPanel examination:
GastroPanel developed by Biohit is a simple blood test for the diagnosis and screening of gastric disorders. GastroPanel test reliably detects H. pylori infection and damage or dysfunction of the stomach mucosa (atrophic gastritis), leading to acid-free stomach that is the most important risk factor for gastric cancer. Recent studies suggest that acid-free stomach is also a risk factor for esophageal cancer.
The April 2012 Maastricht IV consensus report of the European Helicobacter Pylori Study Group recommends blood sample biomarker tests as a reliable method to diagnosis of disorders in stomach mucosa and associated risk conditions. Researchers recommend biomarker tests for the diagnosis and follow-up of Helicobacter pylori infection and especially due to atrophic gastritis as well as for the screening of asymptomatic patients. (1)
16 gastroenterology experts of the international Healthy Stomach Initiative organization (www.hsinitiative.org) from 12 countries came to the same conclusion that blood biomarker tests are a reliable way to detect and screen for gastric diseases and their risk conditions. Biomarkers in GastroPanel detect reliably H. pylori infection and in addition, atrophic gastritis, which is the most important risk condition of gastric cancer. (2)
Microbes from the mouth can colonise an acid-free stomach and produce carcinogenic acetaldehyde from sugar and alcohol. In 2009, IARC (WHO agency on cancer research) classified acetaldehyde from alcoholic beverages (and naturally generated in alcohol) as group I carcinogen, being therefore as carcinogenic as asbestos, formaldehyde and benzene. (3). According to genetic studies this is one of the major risk factors of gastric and oesophageal cancer. The risk can be reduced with the help of another Finnish innovation – OTC product Acetium capsule, which are taken during meals and alcohol consumption, to bind (neutralise) carcinogenic acetaldehyde in the stomach.
GastroPanel provides an opportunity to direct the patients to correct examinations on time. GastroPanel reliably finds those patients whose stomach is “healthy” (patients do not have H. pylori infection or acid-free stomach due to atrophic gastritis). GastroPanel blood test can therefore in most cases replace the expensive and uncomfortable gastroscopy. GastroPanel results significant resource and cost savings in healthcare.
Literature:
1. Malfertheiner P et al. Management of Helicobacter pylori
infection--the Maastricht IV/ Florence Consensus Report. http://gut.bmj.com
on May 18, 2012. European H. pylori Study Group, ESPSG.
2. Agréus L
et al. Rationale in diagnosis and screening of atrophic gastritis with
stomach-specific plasma biomarkers. Scand J Gastroenterol 2012;47:136-47.
3.
World Health Organisation WHO, 2009. www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2009/pdfs/pr196_E.pdf
