MANILA, Philippines – Philippine biotech company IP-Biotech has entered into an exclusive partnership with Tembusu Healthcare, and GenScript Biotech Corporation (“GenScript”, Stock Code: 1548.HK), which will allow IP Biotech to distribute a breakthrough test kit designed to measure the levels of neutralizing antibodies in recovered COVID-19 patients.
The newly-developed cPass™ SARS CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit (cPass™ sVNT Kit) is an essential component in the national testing process to measure neutralizing antibodies in the population. This may help scientists to research if those previously infected are developing immunity to reinfection.
The cPass™ sVNT kit is accurate and affordable and will be an essential component in the comprehensive management of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the first “rapid” test kit that can detect neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). NAbs refer to a specific type of antibody that has been shown to interfere with virus re-infection and may be a good indicator of potential immunity against COVID-19.
NAbs have been shown to be indicative of immunity in other viral infections.
Results from the cPass™ sVNT kit can be determined in under an hour in most clinical and laboratory settings. Because the testing method employed by the cPass™ sVNT kit does not require the use of live virus cells to test for neutralizing antibodies, unlike commonly used traditional methods; the kit does not require specialized biosafety containment measures to be deployed—which drastically simplifies and shortens the testing process while lowering associated costs.
Co-developed by Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore, Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and GenScript Biotech Corporation, the cPass™ sVNT test kit received FDA approval for commercial use in the Philippines last August. The kit has also been authorized for emergency use in Singapore, and is currently under review for emergency use authorization in the United States and Canada.
The strategic partnership by IP-Biotech, Tembusu Healthcare, and GenScript Biotech Corporation authorizes IP Biotech to be the Philippines’ sole distributor of the cPass™ sVNT kit.
Potential Uses
The cPass™ sVNT kit can be used to measure the inhibition activity of the convalescent plasma and the efficacy of vaccines to promote the development of neutralizing antibodies. In convalescent serology studies the cPass™ sVNT kit can not only determine who has been previously infected, but also if they have neutralizing antibodies.
The development also makes research relevant to COVID-19 investigations, sero-prevalence survey, herd immunity, longevity of protecting neutralizing antibodies, and efficacy of different vaccine candidates and treatments, safer, more accessible, and more inclusive within the medical and scientific community.
Director of the Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases at Duke-NUS Medical School Professor Linfa Wang who led the team that developed the cPass™ sVNT kit said “As studies and clinical trials on potential vaccines and treatments progress around the world, we expect the cPass™ sVNT test kit to play an instrumental role in measuring and analyzing immunity to SARS CoV-2.”
“The Philippines now has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases across South East Asia. We aim to make the cPass™ SARS CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody Detection Kit available to communities in the Philippines by partnering with IP-Biotech and Tembusu Healthcare. We are joining forces to make full use of our mutual capabilities, expertise, and resources which will help us to serve communities in the Philippines better,” said Dawn Lee, Sales Director of Asia Pacific Region at GenScript.
“The introduction of cPass™ is timely given the various Phase-3 clinical trials that are about to commence in the Philippines for COVID-19 vaccines. We will use cPass™ to analyze the level of neutralizing antibodies in the blood of volunteers of our clinical trials. cPass™ can also be used as a layer of analysis prior to the use of convalescent plasma to ensure presence and satisfactory levels of neutralizing antibodies. This will truly serve an important purpose for the Philippine healthcare system and society as a whole.”
About IP Biotech
IP-Biotech is an established biotechnology and pharmaceutical importer, wholesaler, and retail administrator of high-quality, affordable vaccines in the Philippines. IP-Biotech also owns Family vaccine and specialty clinics, a network of 40 vaccine clinics covering 20 provinces in the Philippines. IP-Biotech has also made recent investments in telemedicine and immunoglobulin development in the Philippines.
About Tembusu Healthcare
Tembusu Healthcare, headquartered in Singapore, is a healthcare company that focuses on understanding patient’s needs and partnering with the best in the world to bring patients appropriate care. We provide commercial services to develop and distribute medical devices and pharmaceutical products. Our focus is delivering products for allergy and Covid-19.
For more information, visit Tembusu Healthcare’s official website https://www.tembusuhealthcare.com/.
About GenScript Biotech Corporation
GenScript Biotech Corporation (Stock Code: 1548.HK) is a global biotechnology group. Built upon its leading gene synthesis technology, GenScript is divided into four major platforms including the life science contract research organization (CRO) platform, the biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) platform, the global cell therapy platform, and the industrial synthesis product platform.
GenScript was founded in New Jersey, US in 2002 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2015. GenScript’s business operations span over 100 countries and regions worldwide with legal entities located in the US, China, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore, the Netherlands and Ireland. GenScript provides premium, convenient, and reliable products and services for over 100,000 customers.
At the end of 2019, GenScript had more than 3,700 employees globally, 37% of whom hold master’s and/or Ph.D. degrees. In addition, GenScript owns a number of intellectual property rights and trade secrets, including more than 100 patents and over 270 pending patent applications.
Driven by the corporate mission of “making people and nature healthier through biotechnology”, GenScript strives to become the most trustworthy biotech company in the world. As of December 31, 2019, GenScript’s products or services have been cited by 42,200 peer-reviewed journal articles worldwide.
For more information, visit GenScript’s official website https://www.genscript.com