PHADIA Holding AB, Sweden, a global market leader in in-vitro allergy diagnostics acquires a 24.9% holding in VBC-GENOMICS Bioscience Research GmbH, Austria, the developer and supplier of a proprietary microarray technology (ISAC) enabling the analysis of an almost unlimited number of allergens in a single, analytic step. The acquisition was a combined transaction involving sale of shares and new issue of shares by capital increase with call options on the remaining shares (75.1%) in VBC-GENOMICS.
Magnus Lundberg, CEO of PHADIA, commented: ”PHADIA has entered in an agreement with VBC enabling us to sell VBC’s diagnostic products. By acquiring an ownership share PHADIA aims to get a closer relation with VBC, enabling PHADIA’s marketing companies to sell VBC’s products worldwide and to further develop VBC’s unique microarray technology platform in cooperation with VBC’s scientist in the field of immune diagnostics”.
Manfred W. Mueller, CEO of VBC-GENOMICS, commented: “We are delighted to cooperate with PHADIA which will enable us to take the business into its next phase of development. It is a strong commitment to excellence and to New Horizons in the field of allergy and autoimmune diagnostics. It secures accessibility to the new golden standards in allergy diagnostics to our customers under PHADIA’s brand ImmunoCAP ISAC on a worldwide basis. The buy in and build structure of the transaction in combination with our technology platform has the potential to aim at immune diagnostics in a new dimension in the near future’’.
About PHADIA
PHADIA develops, manufactures and markets complete blood test systems to support the clinical diagnosis and monitoring of allergy, asthma and autoimmune diseases. More than 3,000 laboratories in 60 countries use the company’s products. Supplying seven out of ten allergy laboratory tests worldwide, Phadia has remained the world leader in its field for more than 25 years.
Our ImmunoCAP symptom profiles provide allergists, paediatricians and primary care physicians with precise, quantitative measurements of specific IgE levels, supporting the prognosis, diagnosis and follow-up of allergic patients. Around 500 people are employed at PHADIA in Uppsala and Freiburg. Around 600 people work for the company's own sales and support subsidiaries in 20 countries around the world.
About VBC-GENOMICS
VBC-GENOMCIS has been founded in early 1999 and established at the Vienna Biocenter Campus by a core team of scientists originating from the Institute of Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Vienna. Based on the initial business focus on providing DNA sequencing and DNA oligonucleotide manufacturing services, VBC-GENOMICS has quickly developed into one of the leading biotech companies in Austria.
Today, the privately financed venture maintains its strong position in the local biotech sector and employs more than 30 members of staff, together with its subsidiary GenoSense Diagnostics. Already at the beginning, VBC-GENOMICS followed the vision to develop innovative diagnostic tests and procedures based on unique combinations of novel high-throughput technologies and biological solutions in the genomic, proteomic and bioinformatics areas. Based on a strong focus on research and development, a number of patents in the area of biochip technology and molecular diagnostics have been successfully filed and/or granted.
The ISAC (Immuno Solid-phase Allergen Chip) platform developed by VBC-GENOMICS is a revolutionary approach to the diagnosis of IgE-related Type-I allergic diseases and has the potential to develop in the next gold standard in allergy diagnosis. With ISAC, the major disease-eliciting allergens can be identified in single step using only minute amounts of sample material. Consequently, the diagnosis can be based on a comprehensive assessment of disease-related parameters directly leading to a better treatment as well as to short-, intermediate- and long-term cost-savings in health provision.
A strong portfolio of collaborations with academia and industry creates the basis for an efficient translation of visionary ideas into market-ready applications and to guarantee the quality of these products on a long-term. Our aim is to develop innovative diagnostic tests based on modern high-throughput analytical procedures and powerful bioinformatics applications, for the benefit of mankind.
"VBC-GENOMICS, Future Innovations in Life Science, NOW".
Contact:
VBC-GENOMICS Bioscience Research GmbH Dr. Dirk Hoppe Director Sales & Business Development Donau-City-Str. 1, A-1220 Vienna Phone: +43-1-2530253-100
mailto:dirk.hoppe(at)vbc-genomics.com
www.vbc-genomics.com
PHADIA invests in VBC Genomics
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