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LexaGene Holdings completes development of antibiotic resistance marker panel

Last updated: 09:35 15 May 2019 EDT, First published: 09:21 15 May 2019 EDT

pets
LexaGene’s key markets include veterinary diagnostics

LexaGene Holdings Inc. (CVE:LXG) (OTCMKTS:LXXGF) announced Wednesday it has completed development of an antibiotic resistance marker panel.

The biotechnology company said the panel is comprised of 12 assays targeting antibiotic resistance genes commonly found in bacterial pathogens.

“This further expands the company’s capabilities in providing a complete testing solution for veterinarians to rapidly determine the cause of an infection and whether any antibiotic resistance factors are present,” LexaGene said in a statement. “This information can then be used to prescribe the most effective therapy.”

READ: LexaGene shares pop after technology successfully detects threatening agricultural mold

LexaGene, based in Beverly, Massachusetts, is pioneering the first fully automated pathogen detection platform for use in diagnostics and sample analysis. The platform is open-access, meaning that end users can target any pathogen of interest by loading their own real-time assays onto the instrument for customized detection.

LexaGene’s key markets include veterinary diagnostics and food safety.

“The ability of our technology to quickly detect both the causative pathogen and many antibiotic resistance factors will transform how veterinarians process clinical samples and make therapeutic decisions,” said CEO Jack Regan.

Addressing the antibiotic resistance problem

The company said antibiotic resistance is one of the most challenging problems faced by both veterinarians and medical professionals, and that recent studies have shown that companion animals can transmit their infection to humans.

“New technologies are required that can quickly determine whether antibiotic resistance factors are present in detected bacteria, helping to reduce the amount of antibiotics that are unnecessarily prescribed or poorly matched for the resistance profile of the causative pathogen,” LexaGene noted.

To address this problem, LexaGene said it is nearing completion of a beta version of its fully automated easy-to-use analyzer that will identify the most common pathogens and screen for the presence of several antibiotic resistance factors within an hour of sample collection.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham

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