Sebia and Metafora biosystems form Strategic partnership to Develop Advanced In Vitro Diagnostics tests

Sebia to acquire a minority stake in Metafora biosystems

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Sep 21, 2021, 08:14 ET

LISSES, France and PARIS, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sebia, a world leader in diagnostics in the fields of multiple myeloma and chronic diseases, and Metafora biosystems ("Metafora") today announced a strategic partnership to develop a portfolio of in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) solutions based on Metafora's technology platform. Metafora leverages a single-cell AI-powered diagnostic platform for the detection of cellular metabolism anomalies. In conjunction with the agreement, Sphinx, Sebia's parent company, has acquired a minority share in Metafora.

Jean-Marc Chermette, Chairman and CEO of Sebia, said: "We are excited to partner with Metafora biosystems, and to apply their innovative technology to make significant strides in the field of cancer and metabolic disease diagnostics. Our initial focus will be on applications in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma, where Sebia is the world leader, and we then expect to work together in other therapeutic areas."

Vincent Petit, co-founder and CEO of Metafora, said: "Sebia's commitment, both strategically and financially, is a key milestone in Metafora's development and highlights and validates the potential of our platform. Sebia's investment enables us to accelerate our R&D programs and prepare for commercial launches between now and 2023. We look forward to collaborating with Sebia's team and learning from their wealth of expertise in diagnostics to accelerate our development."

The partnership between Sebia and Metafora focuses on the development of new analytical methods, in particular in hematology. Hemato-oncology still suffers from a lack of robust diagnostic tests on which to base informed therapeutic decisions and the two partners aim to tackle these unmet needs.

Pierre Sonigo, Chief Scientific Officer of the Sebia Group, said "Metafora's technology achieves the equivalent of a PET-Scan, the reference technology for cancer imaging, on "liquid biopsies", i.e., from a simple blood sample. The resolution of this analysis, which is based on flow cytometry, is the highest achievable since the sample is analyzed at a single cell level. This partnership expands the range of Sebia's electrophoresis and mass spectrometry technologies, optimizing the diagnosis and monitoring of cancers and chronic diseases".

About Sebia

Founded in 1967, Sebia is the world's leading supplier of equipment and reagents for clinical protein electrophoresis, a technology used for the screening and follow-up diagnosis of various pathologies, mainly in oncology (Multiple Myeloma) and also metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hemoglobinopathies and some rare diseases. The company is headquartered in Lisses, France, and is present in more than 120 countries.

Sebia is owned by CVC Capital Partners, Téthys Invest and the Caisse des Dépôts et Placements du Québec.

www.sebia.com

About Metafora

METAFORA biosystems is developing an innovative technology, capable of assessing the nutrient requirements of cells in a simple and rapid manner, and thus of evaluating and detecting anomalies in their energy needs. Proprietary reagents and state-of-the-art algorithms are at the heart of the technology platform and allow the detection of "metabolic reprogramming" induced during many disease processes.

The company plans to launch in Europe in 2022 its first diagnostic test, METAglut1, dedicated to the early diagnosis of De Vivo disease, a neurometabolic disorder. The company is actively developing its IVD platform for oncology applications. Beyond IVD, the company has two other pillars: AI software to support the deployment of flow cytometry assays, and a solution to increase the clinical efficacy of cell therapies and reduce production costs.

www.metafora-biosystems.com

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SOURCE Sebia; Metafora biosystems