Premaitha opens new lab dedicated to IONA test

BIOTECH specialist Premaitha Health has opened a dedicated laboratory at its Manchester Science Park base which triples its capacity to respond to demand for the IONA test from clinicians.

IONA is Premaitha’s newly-launched non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) for Down’s Syndrome, and other serious genetic conditions such as Patau’s Syndrome and Edwards’ Syndrome by analysing cell-free DNA from a sample of maternal blood.

The announcement of the launch of the new laboratory comes on the third consecutive day of good news for AIM-listed Premaitha.

A management reshuffle coincided yesterday with news that Premaitha and the Wolfson Institute – part of St Bart’s and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry and Britain’s leading research and service facility for antenatal screening for Down’s – are collaborating in a world first for NIPT, using the IONA test.

On Monday, its was revealed an independent study at King’s College Hospital in London showed IONA had 100% accuracy.

Premaitha said the new Care Quality Commission (CQC)-accredited, clinical laboratory will enable it to dramatically increase throughput, of the maternal blood samples analysed each month using the IONA test.

The company began offering an NIPT clinical laboratory service on a smaller scale in July 2015 to allow new customers to provide pregnant women with access to the IONA test as soon as possible.

The service also provides an important back-up option during busy periods, ensuring results are delivered to healthcare professionals on-time and from a regulated and trusted clinical laboratory.

Since initiating the in-house service, the company has seen demand for the IONA test increase significantly with service laboratory customers from across the UK and internationally.

Premaitha also provides its customers with advice and support in the logistics of shipping blood samples in a cost-effective, safe, compliant and rapid manner.
 
Premaitha chief finanicial officer Barry Hextall said: “The decision to expand our NIPT in-house service has been driven by demand from clinicians for the fast, accurate and accredited results provided by the IONA test.

These additional laboratory facilities and our extended team of specialists who run the IONA test service means we can offer the benefits of the first and only CE-marked (European approved) in-vitro diagnostic product for NIPT to more pregnant women, sooner.  This also fulfils one of the commercialisation objectives stated at the time of the recent fundraising.”