Clinical Study Finds the Company’s Devin™ Fractionation Membrane and Metagenomics Assay is More Accurate and Faster than Blood Cultures and Assays without a Host Depletion Filter.
TAOYUAN CITY, TAIWAN, September 29, 2022 — Micronbrane Medical, a biotechnology start-up developing metagenomic-based technologies, today announced it raised $4.5 million in A round funding led by CDIB Capital International which operates on multiple markets in Asia and North America and has $1.2 BN+ in total asset under management.
Micronbrane Medical, established in Feb 2020, is the first company in Taiwan focusing on clinical pathogen diagnostic tests using NGS and its own host depletion technologies with global patents.
Company launched two commercial products which include the Devin™ filter for fast and efficient depletion of host DNA interference and Kit for microbial DNA extraction. With these products the company expects to reduce the cost of sequencing up to 75% which will make infectious disease diagnosis by sequencing much more affordable for hospitals and patients.
“The Covid-19 pandemic and the recent Monkey Pox epidemic highlight the need for rapid and comprehensive identification of known and novel pathogens,” said Mencgchu Wu, Ph.D., CEO and Co-founder of Micronebrane Medical. “PaRTI-Seq™ is an all-in-one test which can identify bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites in liquid biopsies within 24 hours. Our goal is to ensure PaRTI-Seq can be used reliably in a diagnostic setting.”
Micronbrane Medical is now working with several global medical centers to validate the Pathogen Real-Time Identification by Sequencing (PaRTI-Seq) assay, which includes full range of mNGS-grade consumables and reagents required for end-user clinical diagnostic test. The company plans to use the funding for additional product development and clinical studies around the world.
About Micronbrane Medical
At Micronbrane Medical, our mission is to develop genomic innovations that enrich our understanding of microorganisms to benefit human health and ensure sustainability. The company’s proprietary technologies include host specialized collection devices, novel host depletion, optimized reagents and consumables, advanced metagenomic sequencing assays, plus rapid bioinformatic analysis software. The combined Micronbrane Medical solution enables fast and accurate identification and monitoring of a broad range of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Headquartered in Taiwan, the company has partnerships and collaborations with leading academic institutions, health systems, and clinical laboratories worldwide, underscoring its commitment to transforming our relationship with the microbial world. For more information visit https://micronbrane.com/.
Micronbrane Medical Transforms Pathogen Identification with Innovative Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies
Clinical Study Finds the Company’s Devin™ Membrane and Metagenomic Assay More Accurate and Faster than Blood Cultures and Assays without a Host Depletion Filter
TAOYUAN CITY, TAIWAN, July 20, 2023 — Micronbrane Medical, a metagenomic technology innovator, today announced the publication of a clinical study demonstrating the superiority of the company’s proprietary Devin™ Fractionation Membrane and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) assay to diagnose sepsis.
Conducted at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the study showed that the patented Devin Fractionation Membrane enabled a genomic DNA (gDNA) based workflow, the Pathogen Real-Time Identification by Sequencing (PaRTI-Seq™️) assay, provides a more efficient and accurate means of pathogen identification in patients with suspected sepsis compared to traditional blood cultures and mNGS methods without a host depletion filter.
Blood cultures are limited in their ability to detect viruses or mixed infections, have a low diagnostic yield, and long turnaround time. In contrast, mNGS could provide a faster and more sensitive means of a broad range of pathogen identification if host DNA interference is effectively eliminated.
Micronbrane Medical’s patented Zwitterionic Interface Ultra-Self-assemble Coating Technology (ZISC Technology) removes greater than 99% of host nucleated cells of up to 10 mL whole blood (or other body fluids) in five minutes. The study found that the Devin Fractionation Membrane with the PaRTI-Seq workflow achieved higher positivity rates (82%) compared to mNGS without a filter (56%) or blood cultures (24%).
The gDNA-based PaRTI-Seq assay significantly increased microbial reads per million (RPM) over 100-fold and increased the average RPM over cfDNA-based mNGS (2359 compared to only 95 respectively). Moreover, Micronbrane Medical’s easy and efficient workflow allows for sample to pathogen identification within 24 hours, offering a significant advantage over traditional blood cultures, which can take several days to produce results.
“Micronbrane Medical is dedicated to revolutionizing pathogen identification through easy, accurate and cost-effective metagenomic next-generation sequencing,” said Mengchu Wu, Ph.D., co-founder, and CEO. “Our Devin ZISC Technology and PaRTI-Seq assay remove the barriers to widespread adoption of mNGS in both research and clinical settings to deepen our understanding of the microbial world.”
With the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with sepsis, the study provides evidence that Micronbrane Medical’s Devin filter and PaRTI-Seq assay are essential tools in the fight against sepsis and other infectious diseases, potentially saving millions of lives worldwide.
About Micronbrane Medical
At Micronbrane Medical, our mission is to develop genomic innovations that enrich our understanding of microorganisms to benefit human health and sustainability. The company’s proprietary technologies include host depletion, optimized reagents and consumables, advanced metagenomic sequencing assays, plus rapid bioinformatic analysis software. The combined Micronbrane Medical solution enables fast and accurate identification and monitoring of a broad range of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Headquartered in Taiwan, the company has partnerships and collaborations with leading academic institutions, health systems, and clinical laboratories worldwide, underscoring its commitment to transforming our interactions with the microbial world. For more information visit https://micronbrane.com/.
Going to #AMPEurope2023 (by Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP)) and want to learn about something truly revolutionary?
Visit us at our abstract presentations to find out more!
Our technologies enrich the understanding of microorganisms through innovative metagenomic collection devices, novel host depletion, NGS-grade reagents, advanced metagenomic sequencing assays, plus rapid bioinformatic software.
© 2024 Micronbrane Medical
