OpGen Subsidiary Curetis GmbH and Karolinska Institutet Collaborate in Study of Bacterial Co-Infections in COVID-19 Pneumonia...
April 21 2020 - 9:00AM
OpGen, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPGN, “OpGen”), a precision medicine company
harnessing the power of molecular diagnostics and bioinformatics to
help combat infectious disease, announced today the start of an
investigator initiated collaboration with Karolinska Institutet,
Sweden, to identify bacterial co-infections in patients admitted to
the ICU for COVID-19 pneumonia using the Unyvero HPN panel.
High-risk COVID-19 patients, especially in
intensive care units and on ventilation, many of whom may be
elderly or have preexisting conditions that compromise their immune
system, are at a higher risk of acquiring bacterial co-infections
that pose severe life-threatening complications. These
co-infections are not always easily determined based on clinical
symptoms alone, and, if they go unnoticed or diagnosis is delayed,
it can lead to dire outcomes including mortality.
Karolinska Institutet had previously evaluated
the Unyvero system and the HPN panel. Curetis has now provided
additional Unyvero Analyzers for increased throughput and
additional HPN cartridges to enable testing of these critical
specimens.
“We are excited about this collaboration which
allows us to use the Unyvero HPN multiplexed molecular diagnostic
panel to rapidly detect a comprehensive spectrum of clinically
relevant bacterial and fungal pathogens and antibiotic resistance
markers in lower respiratory tract specimens obtained from
critically ill hospitalized ICU patients during this COVID-19
pandemic. We envision the future possibility of running specimens
24/7 in a random access fashion as the samples arrive in the
laboratory,” said Professor and Senior Consultant Physician
Christian Giske, at the Department of Laboratory Medicine,
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Unyvero Hospitalized Pneumonia (HPN) panel
detects 21 clinically relevant pathogens and 17 antibiotic
resistance markers in less than 5 hours directly from native
specimen with only around 2 minutes of hands-on time, compared to
routine bacterial cultures that can take up to several days for
confirmatory pathogen identification and antimicrobial
susceptibility testing results. In the U.S., the Unyvero LRT and
LRT BAL panels for rapid detection of lower respiratory tract
infections such as pneumonia are FDA-cleared for tracheal aspirate
samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, respectively. Unyvero
HPN and LRT BAL are the only syndromic pneumonia panels that also
include Pneumocystis jirovecii.
“Time is critical when managing a novel virus
and bacterial pneumonia co-infections, especially during a pandemic
of such grave scale as COVID-19. Rapid multiplex molecular
diagnostics can play a crucial role in the fight against the
pandemic. We are very pleased about our collaboration with
Karolinska Institutet and we sincerely hope that in this way we can
contribute to improving the outcomes of COVID-19 patients by way of
a comprehensive offering of diagnostic solutions for severe and
often life-threatening respiratory tract infections,” said Oliver
Schacht, PhD, CEO of OpGen, Inc.
About OpGen, Inc.
OpGen, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) is a
precision medicine company harnessing the power of molecular
diagnostics and bioinformatics to help combat infectious disease.
Along with subsidiaries, Curetis GmbH and Ares Genetics GmbH, we
are developing and commercializing molecular microbiology solutions
helping to guide clinicians with more rapid and actionable
information about life threatening infections to improve patient
outcomes, and decrease the spread of infections caused by
multidrug-resistant microorganisms, or MDROs. OpGen’s product
portfolio includes Unyvero, Acuitas AMR Gene Panel and Acuitas®
Lighthouse, and the ARES Technology Platform including ARESdb,
using NGS technology and AI-powered bioinformatics solutions for
antibiotic response prediction.
For more information, please visit
www.opgen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes statements regarding
the clinical evaluation of diagnostic tests by subsidiaries of
OpGen. These statements and other statements regarding OpGen’s
future plans and goals constitute "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and are intended
to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to
predict, are beyond our control, and which may cause results to
differ materially from expectations. Factors that could cause our
results to differ materially from those described include, but are
not limited to, our ability to successfully, timely and
cost-effectively develop, seek and obtain regulatory clearance for
and commercialize our product and services offerings, the rate of
adoption of our products and services by hospitals and other
healthcare providers, the success of our commercialization efforts,
the effect on our business of existing and new regulatory
requirements, and other economic and competitive factors. For a
discussion of the most significant risks and uncertainties
associated with OpGen's business, please review our filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are
based on our expectations as of the date of this press release and
speak only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
OpGen: Oliver Schacht President and CEO
InvestorRelations@opgen.com
OpGen Press Contact: Matthew Bretzius
FischTank Marketing and PR
matt@fischtankpr.com
OpGen Investor Contact: Joe Green Edison
Group jgreen@edisongroup.com
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