NOW Diagnostics acquires CELLMIC reader technology

Strengthens rapid diagnostics and Point-Of-Care testing capabilities. NOW Diagnostics announced that it has acquired the rapid assay reader product lines and related assets of mobile diagnostics company CELLMIC LLC. NOW Diagnostics, 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 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.