Bio-Rad and Axis-Shield Sign Agreement for Anti-CCP

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Hercules, CA, USA), a manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products and Axis-Shield (Dundee, Scotland), an in vitro diagnostics company, have signed an agreement that gives Bio-Rad access to Axis-Shield's test for the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

The new assay will run on Bio-Rad's BioPlex 2200 system and tests for anti-CCP (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies). The anti-CCP assay is a significant recent development in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, facilitating improved management of this widespread and debilitating condition. The anti-CCP assay is regarded by many experts as the most significant recent development in the early diagnosis of RA, facilitating improved management of this widespread and debilitating condition, affecting over 2 million people in the United States alone.

Svein Lien, Axis-Shield's CEO, commented: "We are very pleased that our important patented assay for anti-CCP will be added to the menu of this versatile platform. We have a history of successful collaboration with Bio-Rad, which is a highly respected and pioneering organization in life sciences and a major player in human diagnostic testing, and believe the BioPlex system will add an extra dimension to anti-CCP marketing.”

"The ability to develop and launch an anti-CCP test as part of a rheumatoid arthritis panel will add significantly to our growing menu of autoimmune tests on the BioPlex 2200 system,” said John Goetz, Bio-Rad vice president and group manager of Clinical Diagnostics. "As the first and only fully automated and random access multiplex testing platform, the BioPlex 2200 system is ideally suited as a platform for multimarker autoimmune testing that includes rheumatoid arthritis.”

Axis-Shield is a global manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic kits with a focus on new markers in cardiovascular, rheumatoid, infectious, and alcohol-related diseases, diabetes, dementia, and near-patient testing to facilitate improved patient management.

Bio-Rad Laboratories manufactures and distributes a broad range of products for the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets.



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