Darmstadt, Germany, June 27, 2018 – R-Biopharm Group announced today a collaborative agreement with Statens Serum Institute (SSI, Denmark), focusing on discovery and development of novel diagnostic approaches for the detection of tuberculosis infection.
The development of new diagnostic assays in the area of infectious diseases is a priority for R-Biopharm, a company with 30 years of experience in providing testing solutions for Clinical Diagnostics and Food & Feed analysis. R-Biopharm Group operates in various countries including subsidiaries in the UK, USA, Italy, France, Latin America, Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Australia, India and China as well as by a worldwide extensive network of more than 120 distributors.
“This collaborative agreement creates an opportunity to work with the world-leading scientists and inventors of novel biomarkers and vaccines in the area of tuberculosis research. Our Infectious Diseases Team is inspired to join efforts for the development of novel diagnostics for the tuberculosis patients throughout the world. At R-Biopharm we are concerned about rising numbers of tuberculosis cases and escalation of multidrug-resistant and (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). In cooperation with Statens Serum Institute we will have the potential to transform current underserved market of tuberculosis diagnostics and provide alternative solutions for the detection of TB infection,” said Dr. Ralf Dreher, CEO and Founder of R-Biopharm Group.
SSI is one of Denmark’s largest research institutions in the health sector with over a century of experience in research, development and manufacturing of biologics. Led by Professor Peter Andersen, the research and development team at SSI are at the forefront in the development of novel vaccines and diagnostic agents for major diseases affecting global health. The program has brought several novel vaccine candidates in clinical trial within TB and Chlamydia as well as provided the ground work for the current industry standard in diagnostic tests for tuberculosis infection (IGRAs).
“We are excited for our collaboration with R-Biopharm, a leading industry partner in the field of infectious disease diagnostics. As a government research organization under the ministry of health, industrial involvement is pivotal to get our projects from the lab out to the benefit of patients. The strong research base at R-Biopharm is a great match for the SSI team and has been a fruitful synergy,” said Prof. Peter Andersen, Executive Vice President, Center for Vaccine Research at Statens Serum Institute.
Under the agreement, R-Biopharm and SSI will collaborate on research and development and responsibility for the commercialization of potential products.