Quanterix and STRATEC Announce Strategic Partnership

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and BIRKENFELD, Germany, Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanterix Corporation, a company enabling a new generation of molecular diagnostic tests based on its revolutionary Single Molecule Array (SiMoA™) technology, and STRATEC Biomedical AG (Frankfurt: SBS; Prime Standard, TecDAX), a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of automated analyzer systems, today announced an agreement to co-develop and manufacture a fully-automated instrument for Quanterix's SiMoA technology for use in both the life sciences and in vitro diagnostics (IVD) markets.  Quanterix expects to launch a life sciences instrument in 2013, followed by the commercialization of an IVD platform in 2014.  

As part of the agreement, Quanterix will receive access to STRATEC's platform technology, which will be customized to both optimize and automate the advanced applications of Quanterix's SiMoA technology. STRATEC will receive payments, as well as a minority stake of approximately 7% in the share capital of Quanterix, upon the achievement of technological milestones. After completion of the development phase, STRATEC will manufacture and supply the system and Quanterix has committed to order an agreed minimum volume of systems.

"We are excited to collaborate with STRATEC, a world-class company with an international presence in the biotech and diagnostics marketplace," said Martin Madaus, Ph.D., Quanterix Executive Chairman.  "STRATEC's unparalleled expertise in developing automation solutions will enable Quanterix to bring our single molecule detection technology to the market in a format that will address the needs of both clinical labs as well as individual research scientists.  This new Quanterix detection platform will enable direct and non-amplified detection of pathogens at levels of sensitivity that could previously only be achieved with amplification methods.  The system will allow for completely new clinical insights from the measurement of protein biomarkers that were difficult to measure due to sensitivity and precision limitations of conventional technologies."  

David Walt, Ph.D., Scientific founder of Quanterix added "The introduction of a fully-automated system will represent the next phase of development for Quanterix's SiMoA technology. With STRATEC's expertise in the design and manufacture of this instrument platform, Quanterix can focus on developing content for the system and pursuing applications with the largest impact on advancing molecular diagnostics."

"We are very pleased to work with Quanterix on the development of an instrument that facilitates automation of this potentially game-changing technology," said Marcus Wolfinger, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management, STRATEC Biomedical AG.  "The quality and potential for Quanterix and its technology is evidenced by the background and accomplishments of the Quanterix team, and we look forward to providing a platform solution that will allow Quanterix to expand the utility of SiMoA in both the life sciences research and IVD markets."

About Quanterix

Quanterix Corporation is developing its proprietary Single Molecule Array (SiMoA™) technology for the in vitro diagnostics and life science research markets. The digital nature of SiMoA yields unprecedented assay performance, stemming from a 1,000-fold improvement in sensitivity compared with today's analog only technology.  SiMoA will enable researchers in life science to validate novel, low abundance biomolecules from a single droplet of blood, leading to greater insight into disease detection, diagnosis, therapy selection and disease monitoring.  Automated systems based on SiMoA are being designed to provide diagnostic test information to healthcare practitioners faster, with greater reliability, unprecedented range and increased cost effectiveness.   Founded in 2007, the privately held Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company is backed by leading life science investors including ARCH Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, and Flagship Ventures.  For additional information, please visit www.quanterix.com.

About STRATEC

STRATEC Biomedical AG (www.stratec.com) designs and manufactures fully automated analyzer systems for its partners in the fields of clinical diagnostics and biotechnology. These partners market such systems, in general together with their own reagents, to laboratories, blood banks and research institutes around the world. The company develops its products on the basis of its own patented technologies. Shares in the company (ISIN: DE0007289001) are traded in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and are a constituent of the Deutsche Borse TecDAX.

The STRATEC Group consists of the publicly listed parent company STRATEC Biomedical AG and of subsidiaries and second-tier subsidiaries in Germany, the USA, the UK, Switzerland and Romania.

SOURCE Quanterix Corporation