Avacta to collaborate with Adeptrix on Covid-19 tests

Biotherapeutics developer Avacta has entered into a collaboration agreement with American firm Adeptrix to develop a high throughput Covid-19 antigen test using its proprietary bead-assisted mass spectrometry (BAMS) platform.

Avacta said on Friday that it would work with Adeptrix to develop and manufacture a coronavirus antigen test that would provide clinicians with a "significant expansion" of the available testing capacity for Covid-19 infection by allowing hospitals to utilise their existing installed base of mass spectrometers that are not currently used for testing.

"Hundreds of samples per day can be analysed by a single technician using BAMS, exceeding the capacity of single PCR machine, making BAMS a very attractive high throughput technique for COVID-19 screening in the clinical setting," said Avacta.

The AIM-listed group added that development of a BAMS test capable of diagnosing someone with Covid-19 would be "a quick process" and said both companies were aiming to have tests ready for clinical validation, regulatory approval and manufacturing in June.

Chief executive Dr Alistair Smith said: "A consensus view is building around the world that hundreds of millions of COVID-19 tests are going to be required per month for a long period, and that the disease will be endemic after the initial pandemic has passed, meaning that testing for COVID-19 is going to be needed for many years."

As of 1315 BST, Avacta shares had shot up 10.16% to 105.20p.