Topic: Use of Platelet PGD Test to Detect Bacterial Contamination in Buffy-Coat Platelets
June 15, 2007
The Verax poster is titled “Use of Platelet PGD Test to Detect Bacterial Contamination in Buffy-Coat Units” and will be presented during the Scientific Program poster session on Monday, June 25th. Data to be presented will focus on the comparison of Platelet PGD test results in buffy-coat units to results observed in apheresis units during recently completed U.S. field studies. Buffy-Coat platelets are produced by a different technique than the apheresis collection process typically used in the U.S. and are broadly used throughout Europe.
“We are very excited to investigate the application of the Platelet PGD Test to the challenge of bacterial contamination in Europe,” said Jim Lousararian, chief executive officer of Verax Biomedical. “Buffy-coat studies are key to CE marking our product for sale in the EU”. Lousararian related that the company is currently preparing the Platelet PGD Test for launch in Europe by its distributor, Abbott Diagnostics.
Verax’s Platelet PGD® Test is designed to detect the presence of a broad range of clinically-relevant gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial contaminants in platelets just prior to transfusion. The test is a single-use disposable device that requires minimal labor and provides a result in less than 30 minutes. Bacterial contamination of platelets is the most significant infectious risk in the blood supply today, with an estimated rate of contamination of 1 in every 2,000 units collected.
About Verax Biomedical, Inc.
Based in Worcester, Mass., Verax Biomedical is a leader in the development of rapid tests designed to detect a broad range of bacterial contaminants based upon its proprietary Pan Genera Detection (PGD) technology. The first target application for its technology is to test for the presence of bacterial contaminants in the blood supply. Bacterial contaminants in platelets and red blood cells represent the greatest lethal infectious risks in transfusion medicine today, and no rapid, simple methods are presently available to effectively address this threat. Over 17 million patients receive in excess of 60 million units of these individual blood components annually in North America, Europe and Asia.
CONTACT: David Monti
(508) 795-0535
dmonti@rdwgroup.com
SOURCE Verax Biomedical Inc.
The Company's first product is the Platelet PGD Test – a rapid test for the detection of bacterial contamination in platelets.