MAGNISENSE

Next-generation diagnostics company Magnisense names Luc Lenglet as president


Life science and chemical industry experience will help company launch its immunoassay technology based on magnetic markers

Paris, December 04, 2006—Magnisense, a developer of next generation immunoassays for human and animal diagnostics, food safety and environmental protection, has appointed Luc Lenglet as its president, the company said today.

Magnisense’s new technology, MIAtek™, uses magnetic beads as markers. MIAtek enables laboratory quality performance and the ease of use of rapid testing. The company has developed a portable reader, which allows the detection and precise measurement of a biological target by using superparamagnetic beads as markers. These beads, unaffected by the environment and quantifiable to a high level of precision, replace the currently used enzyme- or fluorescence-based markers.

“Magnisense is launching the future generation of diagnostic tests,” said Lenglet. “We believe that diagnostic technology based on the detection of magnetic particles is a genuine breakthrough compared to colorimetric tests. Moreover, Magnisense has the marketing know-how and potential to develop into a significant player in this market and I am delighted to bring my experience of life science and the chemical industry to the company.”

Magnisense’s development model will be to license MIAtek technology to companies in the diagnostic field. The company is currently focused on niche markets such as the detection of Legionella, avian flu and tetanus.

Magnisense is developing two types of applications:
MIAstrip™: Point of care testing with a single sample, producing objective, quantifiable and traceable results via a portable reader for cardiac, tetanus, microbial or viral infection markers among others.
MIAflo™: Disposable cartridges for detection of bacterial contamination in food products, e.g. Listeria and Salmonella, or in water, e.g. Legionella, with a sensitivity that brings a significant reduction in testing time.

Lenglet, 42, was previously Director of Marketing and Innovation in Rhodia’s EUR 1.3 billion consumer products division. He has held a number of operational positions in the chemical industry, including strategic planning, manufacturing and business development. Prior to Rhodia, Lenglet occupied a management position at Arthur D Little, leading assignments in the fields of strategy, innovation management and technology assessments for world-class life science companies such as Rhône Poulenc (now Sanofi-Aventis), Pasteur Mérieux Connaught (now Sanofi-Pasteur) and Merial. Lenglet graduated from the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris) where he studied chemistry. He holds the Agrégation de Sciences Physiques, the equivalent of or superior to a PhD.

About Magnisense
Magnisense develops and markets a new generation of immunoassays for human and animal diagnostics, food safety and environmental protection. These innovative immunoassays are based on magnetic particle markers, which deliver the accuracy of laboratory testing with the ease of use of rapid test methods currently on the market.

Magnisense’s MIAtek™ technology allows the detection and precise quantification of a biological target using superparamagnetic particles as markers. These particles, free of interference from environmental factors that affect other approaches, replace the widely used enzyme- or fluorescence-based markers. MIAtek™ was developed from research carried out by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Magnisense is developing two application areas:
MIAstrip™: Point of care testing with a single dose, producing objective, quantifiable and traceable results via a portable reader for cardiac, tetanus, microbial or viral infection markers among others.
MIAflo™: Disposable cartridges for detection of bacterial contamination in food products, e.g. Listeria and Salmonella, or in water, e.g. Legionella, with a sensitivity that brings a significant reduction in testing time.

Founded in 2003, Magnisense has raised two rounds of financing for a total of EUR 5.5 million from Baring Vostok Capital Partners and private investors.

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