Magnisense’s rapid dose technology based on superparamagnetic beads offers greater robustness and wider application than current methods
Paris July 12, 2007 - Magnisense, a developer of next generation bioassays for human and animal diagnostics, food safety and environmental protection, announces today that Luc Lenglet, president of Magnisense and Stéphane Legastelois, CEO of Indicia Biotechnology, Magnisense’s partner company in developing a new common technical platform, will mediate a conference session on rapid diagnostics based on the detection of magnetic particles, at the annual congress of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) in San Diego, July 15-19 2007.
The session chaired by Magnisense will take place on Wednesday July 18 at 8.40am. It will cover the development of a new rapid immunoassay for the detection of proteins, viruses or bacteria in biological samples. The innovative technology developed by Magnisense is based on the non-linear behavior of superparamagnetic beads in the presence of a magnetic field. By replacing gold colloid or latex by nanosized magnetic particles, traditional lateral flow tests can be turned into a true quantitative assay. The membrane is introduced into the coil of a portable reader that counts the number of superparamagnetic beads.
The low detection threshold enables a significant increase in sensitivity when compared to lateral flow tests. Archivable data recording also eliminates the potential subjectivity associated with visually-interpreted tests. Basically, the technology is simple, accurate, exhibits a low limit of detection, and shows an exceptional dynamic range of five orders of magnitude. The robustness of the method allows measurements in almost any environmental or climatic conditions.
Luc Lenglet, President, Magnisense
Luc Lenglet, 43, graduated from the École Normale Supérieure (Paris), has an advanced degree in physical sciences, and 15 years of experience in marketing, technology and innovation management, including a post as Marketing of Innovation Director at Rhodia and Manager at Arthur D. Little where he led assignments for world-class life science companies.
Stéphane Legastelois, CEO, Indicia Biotechnology
Stéphane Legastelois, 47, has a doctorate of Biochemistry form the University of Lyon and an MBA from the Lyon Business School (EM Lyon). He began his career in the university environment where he was a professor of biology. He then joined Indicia Diagnostics R&D department before taking charge of Merck Chimie export sales and marketing for its microparticles division in Paris. In 2001, he became the founder and CEO of Indicia Biotechnology.
About Magnisense
Magnisense develops new generation of bioassays for human and animal diagnostics, food safety and environmental protection. These innovative immunoassays are based on superparamagnetic bead markers, which deliver the accuracy of laboratory testing with the ease of use of rapid test methods.
Exploiting a unique feature of superparamagnetic bead markers, Magnisense’s MIAtekTM technology provides true quantification of a large volume sample. The magnetic signal is free of interference from environmental factors, permitting a more sensitive and reproducible detection than possible with other surface-restricted approaches.
Magnisense is developing two test formats for different application areas:
MIAstrip™: Point of care testing with a single dose, producing objective, quantifiable and traceable results via a portable reader and offering markers for a number of diseases including avian flu, cardiac disease, tetanus, and bacterial, viral, parasitic or mycotic infections.
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 6 million from Baring Vostok Capital Partners and private investors.
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