Spark Ventures

To maximise potential of breakthrough technology platform
in developing Point of Care diagnostics

Sittingbourne, Kent, UK, 10th November 2010

 

Vivacta Limited, the medical diagnostics company with a revolutionary

platform for point of care testing, announces the close of a £4 million financing round.

The current shareholders, HBM BioVentures, IDInvest Partners (formerly AGF Private Equity),

Spark Ventures and Viking, all participated in the round. Vivacta’s innovative piezofilm technology

platform enables the development of a new generation of near‐patient diagnostic products

achieving very high sensitivity and wide dynamic range, equivalent to laboratory testing.

The test utilises whole blood samples and requires only a finger prick sample, providing actionable

results within 10 minutes.

Vivacta has successfully developed a diagnostic test for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH),
one of the most widely prescribed laboratory tests and the industry gold standard for
immunoassays by which major diagnostic companies measure the performance of
competing platforms. Vivacta’s TSH product demonstrates the high sensitivity, wide dynamic
range, precision and speed to result enabled by the technology. Vivacta is also developing a
multiple analyte cardiovascular diagnostic test for use in the emergency room and acute
care settings, where there is a compelling need for rapid diagnosis of possible heart attack
and related time‐critical medical conditions.

Dr Tim Carter, Chief Executive Officer of Vivacta and co‐inventor of the piezofilm platform
technology, said: “Our technology has the potential to revolutionise point of care diagnosis.
This fundraising enables us to continue to maximise the potential of our platform and
demonstrates the commitment of our investors in the Company.”

Vivacta’s technology has been used to measure both small and large molecules and the goal
ultimately is to measure nucleic acids. Target applications include diagnosis of infections,
sepsis and stroke, companion diagnostics, therapeutic drug monitoring, vaccination status
and therapeutic effectiveness monitoring such as the detection of anti‐drug antibodies, as
well as personalised medicine applications.

Vivacta collaborates with healthcare companies to develop point of care diagnostics for
these applications.

Vivacta’s patented system is simple to use, cost effective, and is packaged within a small, self
contained cartridge with all reagents dried down. The unique cartridge system reduces the
amount of patient blood required and removes the need for red cell separation. Single and
multiple assay cartridges and readers have been developed. The multiple assay system
allows simultaneous testing of several different analytes or the same analyte more than
once to further enhance dynamic range and sensitivity.

Cartridges are inserted by the user into a compact reader which provides data rapidly to
users at the point of care and simultaneously to remote locations such as laboratories within 
decentralised healthcare networks. The system is designed to meet the criteria for CLIA
waiver.

Vivacta has a proven product development and manufacturing process with a certified
quality system. Its pilot facility for manufacturing cartridges provides partners with small‐
scale manufacture and process development resource. Vivacta has established a strong,
independent IP base with a portfolio comprising over 10 patent families. 

About Vivacta
Vivacta Limited is applying its expertise in piezofilm technology to develop a range of new
generation high performance Point of Care (POC) diagnostics able to deliver quantitative
readings within 10 minutes from a single pin prick of blood.

The Company’s platform technology exploits the piezoelectric effect by which thermal
perturbations on a piezofilm surface cause an electric charge to be produced. The
measurement of this electric charge enables monitoring of chemical activity – or rate of
binding between antibody and analyte – in an assay. In harnessing this piezofilm platform
technology, Vivacta has developed PoC diagnostic products able to produce and present
sensitive, precise and fully quantitative results, equivalent to those produced in laboratories.

Vivacta has generated an independent intellectual property position of over 10 patent
families protecting the use of piezofilms in diagnostic assays. Vivacta’s investors include
HBM BioVentures, IDInvest (formerly AGF), Spark Ventures and Viking. For more information
please visit www.vivacta.com

 

Contacts:
Vivacta
Oliver Boucher
Tel: +44 1795 419400
ob@vivacta.com

Capital MS&L
Mary Clark, Justine Lamond & Hollie Vile
Tel: +44 (0)20 7307 5337
vivacta@capitalmsl.com