SPRINGDALE, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NOW Diagnostics Inc. announced today that it has acquired the rapid assay reader product lines and related assets of mobile diagnostics company CELLMIC LLC.
NOW Diagnostics Inc., based in Springdale, Arkansas, is a leader in innovative diagnostics testing. Its ADEXUSDx® product line features a “lab at your fingertip” concept, using a single drop of blood to test for a variety of common conditions, illnesses and diseases, with results in a matter of minutes.
Founded in 2011 as Holomic LLC – a spinoff of Prof. Aydogan Ozcan’s research lab at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science – CELLMIC, LLC based in Inglewood, California, has developed a series of smartphone-based, rapid assay readers with applications in medical, veterinary, food safety, biodefense and drugs-of-abuse testing. CELLMIC’s products carry the European Union CE Mark and are in use around the world.
“This strategic acquisition strengthens our presence in the rapid diagnostics and mobile health space,” said NOW Diagnostics’ CEO, Kevin Clark. “This acquisition will allow us to integrate CELLMIC’s advanced reader technology with our ADEXUSDx® testing platform, which we expect will result in even more accurate results and provide convenience, simplicity and cost benefits to U.S. and international point-of-care testing and consumer healthcare markets. Our ADEXUSDx® product line is built on the ‘lab at your fingertip’ concept as an alternative to laboratory-based testing, and the addition of this new reader technology from CELLMIC is expected to put digital analysis ‘in the palm of your hand.’”
“NOW Diagnostics has been a valued partner of CELLMIC for over two years,” noted CELLMIC’s CEO Neven Karlovac. “We believe that this transaction will enable this superior reader technology to reach its full commercial potential, both in combination with NOW Diagnostics’ rapid tests as well as through continued OEM partnerships. CELLMIC will continue to develop and commercialize a strong IP portfolio supporting additional biophotonics and mobile technologies, including lens-free microscopes and ELISA microplate readers.”
NOW Diagnostics’ FDA-cleared and CE-Marked ADEXUSDx® hCG pregnancy test was the first registered product of the ADEXUSDx® family.* The lateral-flow test enables a one-step, 10-minute process using as little as a single drop of blood with no laboratory or additional equipment required. Branded and marketed in Europe under the FIRST TO KNOW® trademark, it is the first over-the-counter (OTC), blood-based pregnancy test for sale anywhere in the European Union and is available at pharmacies in Italy through an exclusive distribution agreement with Welcome Pharma.**
*The ADEXUSDx® test platform has undergone a rigorous regulatory process in the U.S., receiving 510(k) clearance, CLIA registration, and classification by the U.S. FDA.
**The FIRST TO KNOW® pregnancy test is not FDA-cleared for OTC sale or for home use in the U.S.
About NOW Diagnostics, Inc.
NOW Diagnostics, Inc., based in Springdale, Arkansas, is a leader in innovative diagnostics testing. Its ADEXUSDx® product line features a lab at your fingertip, using a single drop of blood to test for a variety of common conditions, illnesses and diseases, with results in a matter of minutes. By eliminating the need to send tests to off-site laboratories, NOW Diagnostics products have the potential to decrease the waiting period to determine test results by days. For more information about NOW Diagnostics, visit www.nowdx.com. For more information about the ADEXUSDx® hCG pregnancy test, including its intended use, features, benefits and limitations, and directions for use, visit www.nowdx.com/products/hcg. For more information on the FIRST TO KNOW® pregnancy test, including its intended use, features, benefits and limitations, and directions for use, visit www.firsttoknow.eu.
About Cellmic, LLC
Cellmic, LLC is a technology company dedicated to improving patient healthcare with the use of smartphones and biophotonics. We are a licensee of UCLA and collaborate closely with Professor Aydogan Ozcan and his research group at the university. Our first commercialization success was a product line of readers for lateral flow immunoassays that is now part of NOW Diagnostics, Inc. Cellmic continues with the commercialization of other technologies in our portfolio, including microplate readers, lens-free holographic microscopes, and handheld analyzers for blood count, allergens, and mercury contamination. The company earned the Technology Pioneer 2015 award by the World Economic Forum in Davos; was a finalist for the Katerva, Nokia Sensing X-Challenge, and SPIE PRISM awards; and has won numerous government and corporate contracts. For more information see www.cellmic.com.
