Diagnosing Pathogen Bacteria Earlier and More Accurately with Biomode’s Probe4@ Rapid Diagnostic Kits

Project Information

Biomode

Grant agreement ID: 815522

DOI

10.3030/815522

Project closed

EC signature date 11 June 2018

Start date 1 July 2018

End date 31 December 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

BIOMODE 2, S.A.
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Biomode (Diagnosing Pathogen Bacteria Earlier and More Accurately with Biomode’s Probe4@ Rapid Diagnostic Kits)

Reporting period: 2018-07-01 to 2018-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Over 600 million people in the world get ill from unsafe food each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths. In Europe, over 23 million people get sick due to contaminated raw vegetables, ready-to-eat meals, processed meats, smoked fish or soft cheeses. In addition, food-related contaminations represent a significant economic burden; salmonellosis alone could represent €3 billion a year. Therefore, early routine tests to detect food pathogens are needed. Biomode Probe4@ solutions based on Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (PNA-FISH) address this problem, since they provide a fast, accurate, robust, simple and cost-efficient test for the detection of pathogens in a broad range of food samples. In addition to food samples, Biomode products are applied for the detection of microorganisms in environmental and clinical samples. With our feasibility study, our aim was to get the Probe4@ products to market readiness and to leverage the diagnostic possibilities of PNA-FISH for all its applications in the food safety, clinical, veterinary and environmental fields. In particular, we aimed to deepen the assessment of our market and focus on dissemination and marketing, to evaluate the technological feasibility of developing an integrated microfluidics system and to strategically define the next pathogens to be targeted. It was also relevant to plan our work schedule for the next two years of the Phase 2 project, as well as our business plan.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During Phase 1, we tested the feasibility of the microfluidics technologies and its integration with PNA-FISH. In particularly, we have assessed which are the main challenges and possible solutions, as well as the most relevant advantages, by considering aspects such as the volume processed/time, the process temperature, result’s visualization and device manufacturing and high-throughput application. This analysis consolidated collaborations with experts in the field and resulted in publications. In addition, we focused on our marketing plans, commercial and communication strategy as well
as sales forecast. We performed an in-depth analysis of the market for our certified products which allowed us to gather essential insight and market knowledge, crucial to better understand how to position Biomode’s Probe4@ products. We also identified new markets and defined the new Probe4@ products to be developed, including not only the food market, but also aiming to enter the environmental, clinical and the veterinary market, as part of our future technological roadmap. Finally, we developed our business model, cost & pricing strategy and explored potential customer and stakeholder relationships.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We are currently devoted to preparing our entry into the market with the certified Biomode’s Probe4@ products. Our launch will position us as a player in the food market and help us become stronger to develop the next generation of products. While the first generation is expected to bring important benefits to the rapid detection of foodborne pathogens, both for food companies and for public health, the next generation of products will bring an integrated device which will miniaturize the process in one device, thus facilitating high-throughput analysis and outcompeting the other players in the market. In addition, our technology will expand to cover other pathogens from the food area as well as the environmental, clinical and the veterinary area. We are convinced that the simple, fast and accurate pathogen detection, using a technology with broader coverage than the competing technologies on the market will help healthcare decision-makers to act quickly, saving lives, reduce pain, decreasing mistakes and even preventing epidemics.

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