Sengenics Strengthens Strategy to Enable Wider Access to Patented Protein Microarray Technology with the Launch of the Sengenics i-Ome® Protein Array Kit

Sengenics today announced the commercial launch of the i-Ome® Protein Array Kit. The i-Ome® Protein Array Kit contains slide-based, high density protein microarrays, comprised of 1600+ immobilized, full-length, correctly folded human proteins. The new product brings the KREXTM technology within reach to deliver a best-in-class autoantibody discovery tool and to enable researchers focused on autoantibody biomarker identification in the autoimmune disease, immuno-oncology and neuroinflammation fields.

“The Sengenics i-Ome® Protein Array Kit offers greater access to exceptional autoantibody discovery power and operating efficiency, unlocking highly multiplexed applications,” said Dr. Arif Anwar, Sengenics CEO. “Bearing in mind our customers’ needs, Sengenics reimagined the kit with innovative solutions that extend the unmatched accuracy and reproducibility of KREXTM technology to fuel more in-depth research across the autoimmune, immuno-oncology and neurology fields.”

To learn more, please visit https://sengenics.com/products-and-services/

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a precision medicine company working to improve patient outcomes through physiologically relevant, data-guided decision making. Our solutions enable the discovery and validation of autoantibody biomarker signatures for patient stratification, therapeutic response prediction and development of companion diagnostics.

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Sengenics Continues to Expand Global Footprint with New Distribution Agreements in the Asia-Pacific Region

Sengenics, THE Functional Proteomics Company, is pleased to announce the signing of new sales and marketing agreements with major distributors in East Asia to make our suite of products and services more widely accessible to customers in the region. Our new partners will market and provide full support for Sengenics’ proprietary technology to pharmaceutical, biotech and academic institutions in APAC.

Sengenics leverages its patented KREX protein folding technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for patient stratification, drug response prediction, and development of companion diagnostics.

“We are thrilled and excited to strengthen and expand our reach in the APAC region, as we have finalized sales and marketing agreements with 5 major distributors. Our main purpose, as a company, is to translate our one-of-a-kind proteomics technology to enable precision medicine and early disease detection with the ultimate goal of improving both patient outcomes and healthcare expenditures. With these agreements in place, our unique technology will be making a difference very quickly in this region and across the globe,” said Sengenics Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Mark D. Quigley.

About the distributors

Shanghai Universal Biotech, a leading life sciences distributor in China with multiple offices across the country and a lab facility in Shanghai, is a premier antibody supplier and expert in a variety of proteomics products.

Filgen, Inc. is a major distributor of life science equipment, reagents and software in Japan for both academic and pharma/biotech markets.

Gene On Biotech is a leading microarray service provider in South Korea that specializes in antibody microarray, protein microarray, drug candidate identification, and epitope mapping services.

AllBio Science focuses on providing innovative products and services in the areas of gene sequencing, precision medicine, protein expression, and customized antibodies.

LAB-A-PORTER is the pioneering Hong Kong-based distributor focused on product channeling in scientific research, healthcare, and academia.

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a functional proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX protein folding technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for drug response prediction, patient stratification, and development of companion diagnostics in the areas of oncology, autoimmune disease and neuroinflammatory disease. The company has a global footprint with multiple corporate and research sites across the world with customers and collaborators that include top pharma, biotech and Ivy League academic institutions in North America, Europe and Asia.

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Sengenics Bolsters Leadership Team with Two New Appointments

Sengenics, the Functional Proteomics Company, today announced the appointment of Daniel Tan as Chief Financial Officer and Mark D. Quigley as Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. This announcement comes as Sengenics sees continued growth with the planned establishment of a research facility in Massachusetts, USA.

Daniel Tan is a highly accomplished Chief Financial Officer having worked senior roles for more than 25 years in audit, corporate finance, strategy and commercial finance at Baker Tilly and Barclays Bank in the UK, amongst others. Daniel has led a number of IPO assignments on the London Stock Exchange and AIM as well as due diligence engagements on mergers and acquisitions. In his new role, Daniel will drive Sengenics’ financial and strategic growth plans.

Mark D. Quigley joins Sengenics with decades of technical sales and business development experience in the life sciences space. Prior to this, Mark held various senior positions and has led high-performance sales teams in North America at MilliporeSigma (Merck KGaA) and Abcam. Mark is a recognised leader of cross-functional teams with outstanding sales leadership and significant experience in driving organisational change and business transformation. Mark will be responsible for leading Sengenics’ global sales and marketing activities.

Dr Arif Anwar, CEO of Sengenics, said, “We are delighted to have Daniel and Mark join us in these critical leadership positions in finance and sales. They will both be instrumental in implementing our forward strategy to globalise our business with an increasing emphasis on North American operations.”

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

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Sengenics Launches AxCESS, a Research Services Suite to Enable Wider Accessibility to Protein Arrays Developed Using its Patented KREX Protein Folding Technology

Sengenics, the Functional Proteomics Company, today announced the commercial launch of the Sengenics AxCESS research services suite which features three new KREX-based functional protein arrays developed for higher throughput and cost-effective immuno-proteomics applications. This range of arrays aims to provide greater access to Sengenics’ KREX technology to further facilitate autoantibody characterisation with a focus on autoimmune and cancer research.

“The presence of autoantibodies years before disease onset makes them important potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and better prognosis. However, the field of autoantibody-based immuno-proteomics has been under researched to date and has been restricted by the availability of technologies that have the reproducibility, dynamic range, low limit of detection and low false positive rates required for autoantibody biomarker discovery. With KREX, higher sensitivity and accuracy is achieved due to the production of full-length, correctly folded proteins and our unique surface chemistry. I am delighted that we are now able to make this technology more widely accessible and affordable to researchers who are working towards making impactful contributions in this field,” said Professor Jonathan Blackburn, CSO of Sengenics.

In the last 12 months, Sengenics has made significant discoveries of highly accurate autoantibody biomarker signatures for early diagnosis of Melanoma, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and illness severity in COVID-19. In addition, the company has filed landmark patents for response prediction in one of the world’s best-selling autoimmune drugs and early diagnosis of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Sengenics has also developed the OncoREX p53 cancer array in collaboration with Professor Sir David Lane. Containing over 100 clinically relevant mutant p53 variants, OncoREX can be used for drug discovery as well as autoantibody and antibody screening in cancers.

In conjunction with the launch of AxCESS, Sengenics has made significant investments in scaling up production and operations to provide faster turnaround times and enhanced service offerings.

For more information on the AxCESS research services suite and product range, please visit sengenics.com/axcess

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

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Sengenics Awarded Prestigious Michael J. Fox Foundation Grant to Determine the Role of Autoantibodies in the Progression of Parkinson’s

Sengenics, the Functional Proteomics Company, has been awarded a prestigious research grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to identify novel autoantibody signatures related to non-motor symptoms in individuals with high risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) from the Parkinson’s Associated Risk Study (PARS). The objective of the study will be to leverage KREX-based Immunome protein arrays to identify autoantibodies that may have potential as diagnostic or mechanistic biomarkers and, furthermore, to help in understanding the aetiology of PD in terms of pathogenesis and disease progression. Sengenics will be the first external partner in the world to gain access to the PARS cohort.

PARS is a collaboration between the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders and the University of Pennsylvania to examine new strategies to evaluate individuals for early signs of PD or other neurodegenerative disorders. PARS was designed to develop a battery of tests that can be used to reliably predict an individual’s risk of developing PD.

“There is an increasing body of evidence that autoantibodies could play an important role in impairment of neuronal function. We have awarded this grant to Sengenics as their KREX platform enables high-throughput determination of autoantibodies to thousands of correctly folded autoantigens that may be implicated in the progression and pathogenesis of PD,” said Nicole Polinski, PhD, MJFF Senior Associate Director of Research Programs.

Professor Jonathan Blackburn, Sengenics CSO said, “The PARS cohort offers an exceptional opportunity to discover if autoantibodies can be used to distinguish between high-risk/hyposmic individuals with no neurological disease and those with pre-Parkinsonian syndrome. We are delighted to have been awarded this prestigious Michael J. Fox Foundation research grant and look forward to contributing to the Foundation’s goals towards improving the accuracy of pre-symptomatic diagnosis and discovering potential drug targets for Parkinson’s.”

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

Read full press release at businesswire.com

Sengenics Launches SEROMAX, an At-Home, Antibody Sample Collection Kit That Will Revolutionise Patient Recruitment and Monitoring in Clinical Trials

Sengenics, the Functional Proteomics Company, today announced the launch of SEROMAX, a sample collection kit which only requires a pin-prick amount of blood for quantifying antibodies or autoantibodies. Conventional antibody sample collection methods require patients to visit a clinical site where a physician would commonly need to draw a minimum of 0.5 ml of blood. This is followed by costly cold chain processes before the sample reaches a test laboratory for assay and analysis. By using a proprietary matrix to stabilise antibodies, the SEROMAX kit simplifies this process, enabling shipping at room temperature. This is then combined with the ultra-high sensitivity of KREX protein arrays to produce results that are identical to conventionally collected samples.

“The ability to do remote antibody sample collection, for example at home, at work or at a field site, and to deliver samples to a testing lab at room temperature is incredibly powerful. Our standard protocol with KREX arrays only requires 1 microlitre of serum or plasma with a linearity detection in the order of 4 to 5 magnitudes at a picogram detection level. Using the SEROMAX kit allows us to recover sufficient antibodies from whole blood to perform high-plex immuno-profiling assays, with a high correlation (up to 0.98) with assay data on serum prepared by standard methods,” said Professor Jonathan Blackburn, CSO, Sengenics.

One of the most common delays that clinical trials face is in patient follow-up. With SEROMAX enabling at-home sample collection, follow-ups in relevant clinical trials can be simplified, without compromising the quality of subsequent serological assays. SEROMAX also enables monitoring of any flare-up events patients may experience following routine treatments, without requiring regular return visits to a clinic to access a trained phlebotomist.

This kit can benefit researchers working in the COVID-19 R&D space with sample collection for seroprevalence studies and for monitoring of vaccine trials. The utilisation of SEROMAX addresses concerns an individual may have towards enrolment and continued participation throughout a vaccine trial by providing participants an easy alternative without leaving the safety of their home.

SEROMAX is highly complementary to the Sengenics range of protein arrays which includes IMMUNOME, OncoREX p53, CTA and KREX-based custom arrays. Most recently, Sengenics has launched the ImmuSAFE product range which is a multi-domain serology test that enables highly quantitative determination of both the level and target location of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in an individual with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%.

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

Read full press release at businesswire.com

Summa Equity Acquires Sengenics to Advance Precision Medicine through Proteomics

Summa Equity, the purpose-driven private equity firm that invests to solve global challenges, has acquired a majority stake in Sengenics, a functional proteomics company with a proprietary technology called KREX that enables researchers to vastly improve the understanding of the human proteome and immune system. Proteomics, i.e. the large-scale study of proteins, is one of the most important areas for gaining insights into human biology and disease, as protein expressions, structures and functions are critical in reflecting states of health.

Sengenics was first founded in 2008 and went on to commercialise the KREX technology that was originally developed from a joint collaboration between the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. The company’s patented KREX technology enables researchers to address both the function and folding structure of proteins using one technology that allows for large numbers of proteins to be studied simultaneously, with high sensitivity and specificity. The combination of these capabilities makes KREX unique. The technology is relevant for a broad range of applications in research and throughout the value chain for drugs, vaccines and diagnostics. Sengenics is currently mainly focused on autoantibody detection for applications in autoimmune diseases, oncology and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. The company recently launched a unique high-throughput, multi-antigen, multi-domain and fully quantitative COVID-19 test, leveraging the KREX technology.

Sengenics has grown rapidly in recent years and established customer relationships with top global pharmaceutical companies, and leading research and academic institutions around the world. The company currently has commercial partnerships with 9 out of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies to co-develop complementary and companion diagnostic tests for autoimmune and cancer immunotherapy drugs. Sengenics is based in Europe and South-East Asia.

“Sengenics’ proprietary technology unlocks tremendous potential for researchers around the world to further their understanding of biology and disease,” says Tommi Unkuri, Partner at Summa Equity. “We are proud to partner with the company and support its journey, as it looks to expand its position in the market and grow its business. We look forward to supporting the Sengenics team in our shared ambition to invest to drive product development, global expansion and accelerated adoption.”

Summa Equity invests in companies that address global challenges, while managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, with the aim of increasing returns and reducing risk. It was the first company to align its investments with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The investment in Sengenics is aligned with the firm’s Changing Demographics theme and supports the SDG Target #3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”, by enabling improved diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes across a number of disease areas.

“We are excited to welcome Summa Equity as a major strategic investor and shareholder in Sengenics. Their extensive capabilities and alignment with our vision of changing the future of medicine through immuno-proteomics is a very strong strategic fit. Summa also has a great deal of relevant knowledge and experience to be a value-added owner for us given its ownership of Olink Proteomics. This deal ensures a level of investment in our technology portfolio that will further advance Sengenics’ development and commercialisation initiatives,” said Dr Arif Anwar, CEO of Sengenics.

Summa Equity will be the majority shareholder in Sengenics, while key people in the management team will remain as shareholders in the company.

About Summa Equity

Summa Equity is a thematic investment company with Nordic focus with more than EUR 1.4 billion under management. Founded in 2016, Summa Equity invests in companies within Resource Efficiency, Changing Demographics and Tech-enabled Businesses. Summa Equity is amongst the first Private Equity firms to commit to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its investments are aligned with these.

www.summaequity.com

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers that may be used to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

sengenics.com

For interviews or more information, please contact:

Tommi Unkuri
Partner at Summa Equity
+46 70 508 11 96
[email protected]

Dr. Arif Anwar
CEO at Sengenics
+60 3 2700 1364
[email protected]

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Sengenics Launches ImmuSAFE COVID+, the World’s First High-Throughput, Multi-Antigen COVID-19 Biochip Test

Sengenics, the Functional Proteomics Company, today announced the launch of ImmuSAFE™ COVID+, a multi-antigen, multi-domain, fully quantitative serology test. ImmuSAFE™ enables the determination of the target epitopes, titres and Ig class/sub-class (IgG, IgA, IgM; IgG1-4) of antibodies produced across all stages of COVID-19 infection, from initial exposure, disease development, post-recovery or post-vaccination. These results will provide critical insights on whether individuals have high titres of potentially neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 that may protect against reinfection or whether booster vaccinations are required. ImmuSAFE™ COVID+ will also enable quantitative assessment of patient response in vaccination trials, including differentiation of whether observed antibody responses are due directly to the vaccine or to prior SARS-CoV-2 exposure.

ImmuSAFE™ is a lab-based biochip test that utilises Sengenics’ patented KREX™ protein folding technology ensuring that viral antigens are correctly folded, preserving all conformational and linear antibody binding sites. The test contains more than ten domains of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid and Spike proteins including full-length and numerous truncated versions.

Cross-reactivity between immunogenic regions of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses may lead to an overestimation of sero-prevalence in a given population. ImmuSAFE™ is designed to reduce cross-reactivity by targeting multiple SARS-CoV-2 specific domains, resulting in fewer false positives, and a more accurate determination of sero-prevalence.

Professor Jonathan Blackburn, Sengenics CSO said, “The target epitope of antibodies produced following infection exhibit a significant level of diversity across a population. Some individuals produce antibodies that target locations which are neutralising (protective), whereas others produce antibodies that are non-neutralising. Being able to differentiate between these has major implications for vaccine development and sero-protectivity of individuals following infection.”

The ImmuSAFE™ product range also includes other biochip-based tests that incorporate  additional viral antigens such as: SARS-CoV-2 Envelope, Nucleocapsid proteins from 13 other Coronaviruses including 5 human Coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, NL63, HKU1 and 229E) as well as Influenza A and B HA antigen subtypes. Content can be customised based on individualised requirements for vaccine clinical trials or sero-prevalence research studies.

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX™ technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX™ can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers that may be used to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

Read full press release at businesswire.com

Sengenics Announces New Research Collaboration with GSK Focusing on Immunology

Sengenics, the Functional Proteomics Company, announced today that it has entered into a research collaboration agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The collaboration will combine Sengenics’ functional proteomics capabilities with GSK’s scientific expertise in immunology, especially in drug discovery.

The collaboration will leverage Sengenics’ proprietary KREX™ technology to validate novel autoantibody biomarkers in patients with autoimmune diseases. These biomarkers were identified using the IMMUNOME™ protein array, a KREX™-based array with functionally validated, full-length, correctly folded proteins.

Andrew Jackson, Global Business Unit Director – Pharma, Sengenics said, “We are very pleased to enter into this exciting research collaboration with GSK. We hope to be able to determine the diagnostic and therapeutic potential for certain immune-mediated diseases, since they are characterised by the presence of autoantibodies.”

About Sengenics

Sengenics is a Functional Proteomics company that leverages its patented KREX™ technology to discover autoantibody biomarker signatures for prediction of drug response and severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs). KREX™ can also be used to identify autoantibody biomarkers that may be used to diagnose cancer, autoimmune, neurodegenerative or infectious diseases with higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional diagnostic tests. Some autoantibodies that are identified as diagnostic biomarkers may be protective and have potential in themselves as therapeutic biomolecules.

Read full press release at businesswire.com