10 5 月, 2022

Hitachi High-Tech and Invivoscribe Partner to Advance Molecular Diagnostics

TOKYO, May 10, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Hitachi High-Tech Corporation has entered into a strategic partnership (the Partnership) with Invivoscribe, Inc., a global provider of blood cancer testing kits and services, by undertaking a minority investment-based, third-party allotment of shares. The Partnership aims to accelerate the molecular diagnostics(1) and precision medicine businesses of both companies by combining Invivoscribe's technology, assay and bioinformatics development, global clinical testing, and international regulatory expertise with Hitachi High-Tech's core expertise in measurement and analysis systems technologies.In recent years, cancer treatments have begun to offer personalized medicine, in which genes and proteins are examined in detail and the treatment is tailored to the individual patient. In the medical field, there are growing expectations and demands for molecular diagnostics, including high-precision measurement devices that measure genes and proteins, and testing services that deliver highly reliable results to doctors and patients. These molecular diagnostic tests are being further developed as highly precise, sensitive, and affordable methods with minimal burden on the body. The use of molecular diagnostics is expected to expand from diagnostic and therapeutic drug selection to early detection and prognosis monitoring.Invivoscribe is a privately-held, California-based life science corporation with 7 wholly-owned subsidiaries in 5 countries, including clinical laboratories in 4 countries. Invivoscribe is engaged in three core business functions: 1) testing services for blood cancers, 2) global sales and distribution of test kits and licensing bioinformatics software, and 3) the development and commercialization of companion diagnostics(2) to support pharmaceutical approval of new oncology treatments.Hitachi High-Tech's Analytical & Medical Solutions Business aims to support emerging businesses in the life science and healthcare industries while building out its own in vitro diagnostics (IVD) business. This Partnership is part of Hitachi High Tech's growth strategy of strengthening this molecular diagnostics business, whose mission is to contribute to the early detection and treatment of cancer, and discover new drugs, by providing molecular cancer diagnostics to all people, thereby realizing a healthy and secure society.Through this strategic partnership, Hitachi High-Tech aims to cooperate across development, manufacturing, sales and testing services, while developing systems that provide solutions that better address the on-site needs of cancer diagnosis and monitoring throughout the course of treatment.Hitachi High-Tech will continue to strengthen and expand the IVD business including the molecular diagnostic business by incorporating digital and information technologies and contribute to improving the quality of medical care by providing solutions for early diagnosis and optimal treatments of cancers to improve people's QoL"Invivoscribe is excited at the synergistic opportunities, combining our core expertise in global standardization of tests and bioinformatics, our clinical lab services, and our processes for developing custom companion diagnostics from analytical/clinical validations through international regulatory approvals and commercialization, with Hitachi's expertise in instrumentation development and manufacturing," said Jeffrey Miller, CEO and founder of Invivoscribe. "Hitachi manufactures and distributes in vitro diagnostic instruments that we currently use to standardize testing for the international community; we are looking forward to further deepening our Partnership so we can advance precision medicine worldwide.""Hitachi High-Tech has been strengthening its molecular diagnosis business centered on genetic testing. By combining Invivoscribe's testing service business with our experiences gained from the equipment business, we aim to build a unique business model and provide a wide range of services to medical professionals," said Yoshimitsu Takagi, Vice President and Executive Officer, and General Manager, Analytical & Medical Solution Business Group of Hitachi High-Tech.(1) Molecular diagnostics business: A business that measures biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and protein contained in tissues and blood (body fluids) and provides information necessary for diagnosis and selection of therapeutic agents to healthcare professionals.(2) Companion diagnostics: In-vitro diagnostics to test the indication of a specific drug to improve the efficacy or safety of the drug.About InvivoscribeInvivoscribe has been Improving Lives with Precision Diagnostics for more than twenty-five years, advancing the field of precision medicine by developing and selling standardized reagents, tests, and bioinformatics tools to more than 700 customers in 160 countries. Invivoscribe also has a significant impact on global health working with pharmaceutical companies to accelerate approvals of new drugs and treatments by supporting international clinical trials, developing, commercializing companion diagnostics, and providing expertise in both regulatory and laboratory services. With its proven ability to provide global access to distributable reagents, kits, and controls, as well as clinical trial services through our international clinical lab subsidiaries (LabPMM), Invivoscribe has demonstrated it is an ideal partner. For additional information please visit: www.invivoscribe.comor contact Invivoscribe at: customerservice@invivoscribe.com.About Hitachi High-TechHitachi High-Tech, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is engaged in activities in a broad range of fields, including manufacture and sales of clinical analyzers, biotechnology products, and analytical instruments, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and analysis equipment. and providing high value-added solutions in fields of social & industrial infrastructures and mobility, etc. The company's consolidated revenues for FY 2021 were approx. JPY 576.8 billion [USD 5.1 billion]. For further information, visit http://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/Contact:Maya OkamuraBusiness Creation Dept., Business Strategy Planning Div.,Hitachi High-Tech Corporatione-mail: maya.okamura.yr@hitachi-hightech.com Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)

12 2 月, 2021

Elastomers develop stronger bonds of attachment

Tsukuba, Japan, Feb 12, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Elastomers are the soft, elastic materials, like gels and rubbers, that are found in automobile and airplane parts, in sports equipment, and are used to protect precision machinery and buildings against vibrations. Scientists now want to make them thinner and tougher, without losing elasticity. Nagoya University materials engineer Yukikazu Takeoka and colleagues reviewed the most recent efforts towards improving elastomers for the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.Different kinds of bonds can link elastomer chains together, changing how the material behaves. (Credit: Yukikazu Takeoka)"Our review gives hints about the kind of molecular thinking that needs to go into making elastomers tougher," says Takeoka.Elastomers are made of many, long molecular chains of repeating subunits. They can undergo large deformations when stretched, returning to their original shape when the tension is released. They can do this because their molecular chains have enough mobility to stretch and crunch up.Elasticity and overall toughness depends on the interactions between the molecular chains inside the material. Scientists have been working on controlling how chains link together and interact in order to change elastomers' mechanical properties.Takeoka and his team from Nagoya University's department of molecular and macromolecular chemistry explain that elastomers can be made tougher by introducing strong hydrogen or ionic bonds that can reversibly link elastomer chains together. These reversible bonds attach and detach from the elastomer chains as the material deforms. Scientists have used hydrogen bonds to fabricate strong hydrogels that can deform up to 600% and return to their original state within three minutes at 37 degrees Celsius or a few seconds at 50 degrees Celsius.Elastomer chains can also be linked through ring-like 'cyclic' molecules, giving linked chains a large degree of flexibility and improved toughness. A team of scientists fabricated a very flexible elastomer by mixing solutions of polyethylene glycol and cyclic alpha-cyclodextrin in water.Takeoka and his colleagues suggest that further combining elastomers linked by reversible bonds and moving cyclic molecules could lead to even tougher elastomers with better elongation. "Our review emphasizes the importance of examining molecular behaviour in detail while designing polymer materials," says Takeoka.Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14686996.2020.1849931Further informationYukikazu TakeokaNagoya UniversityEmail: ytakeoka@chembio.nagoya-u.ac.jpAbout Science and Technology of Advanced Materials JournalOpen access journal STAM publishes outstanding research articles across all aspects of materials science, including functional and structural materials, theoretical analyses, and properties of materials.Chikashi NishimuraSTAM Publishing DirectorNISHIMURA.Chikashi@nims.go.jpPress release distributed by ResearchSEA for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

17 12 月, 2020

Azooka Labs unveils Safe MTM to Store COVID-19 Samples at Room Temperature for up to a week

Molecular Transport Medium at the price of VTM BANGALORE, INDIA, Dec 15, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Azooka Labs, a leading safe fluorophore company with specialization in Molecular Biology products, reveals its first range of novel COVID-19 diagnostics products. RNA Wrapr is a molecular transport medium for COVID-19 sample collection, developed as part of the COVID-19 response team from Indian Institute of Science. Molecular Transport Media that inactivates the Coronavirus immediately. Not only that! Azooka's RNA Wrapr does not require dry ice for storage and can be processed until a week. A storage medium for COVID-19 that is safe, easy to use and affordable. (RNA Wrapr comes in 3ml or 10ml vials with Fluccoluated Nylon Nasal Swabs. Price starts at INR 99 per vial.)RNA Wrapr inactivates the virus immediately only preserving DNA/RNA content required for RT-PCR tests. The sample tubes can be stored up to 7 days in Room Temperature and transported without dry ice or gel packs. RNA Wrapr is safe to handle even during unexpected accidental spillage or handling errors. Developing countries can collect samples in centers without BSL2 or BSL3 certifications.Azooka's RNA Wrapr is priced at INR 99 in India, aligned with the price of one litre of petrol, to help the diagnostic centers upgrade from VTM to MTM. Azooka plans to enter the APAC market through partners with $9 and $6 pricing plans per test."Azooka has actively been a part of the fight against COVID by developing PCR and RT PCR kits with support from Dept of Biotechnology and Elevate Karnataka even before the pandemic hit us," quoted Alex D Paul, CEO, Azooka Labs. He further added, "MTM has ensured safety and security of COVID-19 samples to be stored at Room Temperature for up to seven days"."Azooka is the only startup from India working to replace Carcinogenic and Mutagenic SYBR dyes widely used in RUO and Diagnostics reagents. Safety and cost savings needed for COVID crisis management today are the highlights of Azooka's MTM," says Dr. C V Natraj, former SVP, Corporate Research, Unilever plc."Azooka is striving to provide a safer molecular grade transport medium that is at sub Rs. 100. We are appealing to a segment of users, who care about the safety of their frontline health care workers," stated Dr. Fatima Benazir, Co-founder & CSO, Azooka Labs.About Azooka LabsAzooka is a patented fluorophore company focused on developing safe biotech consumables at a price affordable for all countries across the globe. Azooka's first diagnostics product RNA Wrapr- molecular transport medium, is approved by ICMR and certified by CE. Azooka is an IISc invested startup based in Bengaluru with R&D unit at the Indian Institute of Science and manufacturing facility in Peenya Industrial Area, Karnataka.Azooka was recently awarded the 'Best Women-Led Enterprise' at StartUp India 2020. Azooka is open for licensing and partnerships worldwide. Governments and Health Organizations can directly contact Azooka for COVID-19 Crisis Management. For more information visit: http://azooka.life/ and for the prices visit: https://azooka.life/rna-wrapr-molecular-transport-medium/Media Contact:Alex D Paul, CEO+91-9108424562alx@azooka.life Copyright © 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.