Genomtec S.A.: Zgłoszenie patentowe (2021-08-25)

Patent application filed for the proprietary set of primers, diagnostic method, and the reaction mixture composition to genetically diagnose Salmonella enterica infections in LAMP technique.

The Management Board of Genomtec S.A. (The "Issuer") informed today, i.e., on August 25, 2021 that a patent application has been filed for the technology developed by the Issuer.

The described application concerns the proprietary set of primers, the diagnostic method, and the reaction mixture composition for the genetic diagnosis of Salmonella enterica in the LAMP technique. The application was filed with the Polish Patent Office, Republic of Poland.

Salmonellosis or food poisoning is one of the most common infectious diseases - both in humans and in animals. Animals and animal products are considered as the main source of Salmonella. All Salmonella infections begin with ingestion with contaminated food or water and in humans can occur as acute gastroenteritis, enteric fever (typhoid fever or paradurium) or bacteremia. The most common cause of this infectious disease is due to bacteria belonging to the species Salmonella enterica.

To date, culture-based tests are the most common microbiological methods for diagnosing Salmonella enterica infections. However, despite their high sensitivity and specificity, they are labour- and time-consuming techniques. Genetic tests offer rapid and relatively cheap method for the identification of Salmonella. Due to low equipment requirements, isothermal method of genetic testing is an ideal diagnostic solution both for point-of-care testing (POCT), where the test can be performed directly in the patients’ setting, as well as utilized for rapid diagnostics in veterinary medicine and food industry.

The developed set of primers is a key element of the diagnostic method based on the LAMP technology utilized by the Issuer. Primers initiate the amplification reaction by recognizing a specific fragment of the pathogen's genome. The described patent application prevents the risk of using the same set of primers in an assay by competitors.

The Issuer's Management Board decided that filing the described patent application is a confidential information, as for an entity operating on the molecular diagnostics market it is necessary to effectively protect intellectual property and designs. Properly secured intellectual property and designs may constitute the Issuer's competitive advantage, allowing safer commercialization under condition that full protection is ensured on selected markets.

In the opinion of the Management Board, a high level of intellectual property protection will also provide the Company with an advantageous negotiating position before signing any commercial contracts with selected partners as part of the commercialization strategy implementation.

Diagnosis of bacterial infections is one of the key areas of technology developed by the Issuer. For these reasons, in the opinion of the Management Board, this information meets the criteria of confidential information described in Art. 7 sec. 1 MAR.