Curetis Group Company Ares Genetics is Granted Key European Patent on Genetic Resistance Testing
- Patent broadly covers genetic biomarkers and biomarker combinations indicating antibiotic resistance
- First of eleven similar patents filed covering various pathogen/drug combinations
- Strengthens unique position of ARESdb, Ares Genetics’ knowledgebase of antimicrobial resistance genetics
Vienna, Austria and Holzgerlingen, Germany, July 04, 2019, 08:00 am CET - Curetis N.V. (the "Company" and, together with its subsidiaries, "Curetis"), a developer of next-level molecular diagnostic solutions, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Ares Genetics GmbH has received a notification by the European Patent Office (EPO) on the decision to grant the European Patent No. 3 099 813 titled "Genetic Resistance Testing".
The patent broadly covers biomarkers and biomarker combinations indicating resistance of the pathogen Escherichia coli to numerous classes of antibiotics and the use of such genetic biomarkers and biomarker combinations to predict resistance based on DNA testing.
The patent is the first that was granted from a series of eleven similarly structured patent applications for different pathogen/drug combinations that were originally filed by Siemens and are now owned by Curetis Group Company Ares Genetics after its acquisition of the GEAR database assets from Siemens in September 2016. The GEAR database is the nucleus of Ares Genetics’ ARESdb, an AI-powered database of compiling high-resolution information on the genetics of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. At present, ARESdb covers the genomes of about 40,000 bacterial strains and susceptibility data for more than 100 different antibiotics.
Ares Genetics leverages ARESdb for services and products for the DNA-based prediction of antibiotic resistance for partners in public health as well as the diagnostics and pharmaceutical industries. Following the licensing of ARESdb for research use to QIAGEN in February 2019, the global microbiology research community is expected to obtain access to ARESdb via the QIAGEN Microbial Insights AR bioinformatics knowledgebase. According to a recent public communication by QIAGEN, a first release of ARESdb will be made available to QIAGEN’s customers in September 2019 (Ref. 1).
"The granting of this key patent by the EPO validates our scalable approach to generate proprietary and truly novel insights into the genetics of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms with ARESdb," said Dr. Andreas Posch, Managing Director and CEO of Ares Genetics. "The genetic profiles derived from ARESdb allow for unprecedented precision in the molecular prediction of drug response and open the way for precision medicine based on rapid DNA testing in the field of infectious diseases."
ARESdb and the ARES Technology Platform is covered by 19 patent families in various stages of submission, review, and approval, covering biomarkers, bioinformatics methods and algorithms, as well as laboratory workflows. As a whole, they presumably constitute one of the broadest and most systematically structured IP portfolios in the space.
About Curetis
Curetis N.V.’s (Euronext: CURE) goal is to become a leading provider of innovative solutions for molecular microbiology diagnostics designed to address the global challenge of detecting severe infectious diseases and identifying antibiotic resistances in hospitalized patients.
Curetis’ Unyvero System is a versatile, fast and highly automated molecular diagnostic platform for easy-to-use, cartridge-based solutions for the comprehensive and rapid detection of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance markers in a range of severe infectious disease indications. Results are available within hours, a process that can take days or even weeks if performed with standard diagnostic procedures, thereby facilitating improved patient outcomes, stringent antibiotic stewardship and health-economic benefits. Unyvero in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products are marketed in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S.
Curetis’ wholly owned subsidiary Ares Genetics GmbH is developing next-generation solutions for infectious disease diagnostics and therapeutics. The ARES Technology Platform combines the presumably most comprehensive database worldwide on the genetics of antimicrobial resistances, ARESdb, with advanced bioinformatics and artificial intelligence.
For further information, please visit www.curetis.com and www.ares-genetics.com.
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