Avacta signs new deal for Covid-19 test

Drug developer Avacta has signed a collaboration agreement with Bruker Corporation to develop one of its Covid-19 tests.
Dr Alastair Smith, chief executive of AvactaDr Alastair Smith, chief executive of Avacta
Dr Alastair Smith, chief executive of Avacta

Wetherby-based Avacta said the deal will evaluate the bead assisted mass spectrometry SARS-CoV-2 test that the group has developed with Adeptrix.

Avacta is working with Adeptrix to develop a high throughput, Affimer-based test to be used on hospitals' existing base of mass spectrometers to diagnose Covid-19 infection. Affimers are Avacta’s high-tech alternative to antibodies.

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Bruker is one of the world’s leading analytical instrumentation companies. It provides high-performance scientific instruments and high-value analytical and diagnostic solutions to scientists globally. It is also one of the foremost suppliers of mass spectrometers in clinical microbiology laboratories in hospitals around the world.

Avacta has worked with Adeptrix to develop a coronavirus antigen test that combines enrichment of the sample using Affimer reagents with the analytical power of mass-spectrometry. Up to 1,000 samples per day can be analysed by a single technician using a BAMS assay, exceeding the capacity of the commonly used PCR machines, making BAMS a potentially very attractive high throughput technique for Covid-19 screening in the clinical setting.

Having successfully developed a prototype test with Adeptrix, Avacta has been working with clinical partners in the UK to refine the test to fit into the typical workflows in a clinical microbiology laboratory.

The new collaboration with Bruker will assess the suitability of the test as a professional-use, in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) product for SARS-CoV-2 infection to run on Bruker’s MALDI-TOF instruments for sale in the UK and Europe.

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Dr Alastair Smith, chief executive of Avacta, said: “I am delighted to have established this collaboration agreement with Bruker to further develop the potential for the BAMS Covid-19 test as a clinical IVD.

"We will be working closely with Bruker on the clinical assessment of the BAMS assay on Bruker’s MALDI-TOF instruments.

"Our objective is to work with Bruker and our clinical partners to deliver an effective and high throughput assay protocol, that can be applied in the clinical setting, with the required sensitivity and specificity and CE/FDA approvals to provide a useful additional diagnostic tool in the fight against the coronavirus.

"I look forward to updating the market when we have definitive clinical performance data.”

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