Helsinki, Finland 16 May – the Finnish biotech company Mobidiag announced today the Prove-it™ Bone and Joint microarray assay for the identification of bacteria responsible for bone and joint infections (BJIs). The microbiological diagnostics of BJIs currently relies on cultures, which are time consuming and subject to false negative results in case of fastidious organisms and previous antibiotic therapy. Mobidiag’s Prove-it™ Bone and Joint identifies bacteria directly from a clinical sample in only three hours and enables rapid implementation of targeted antimicrobial treatment. The product adds new capabilities to Mobidiag’s microarray platform, which also covers sepsis causing bacteria. It can now detect a world record of 64 dangerous bacteria in a single test.

BJIs, such as osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, are severe infections that require immediate medical attention. Osteomyelitis is the infection of bone or bone marrow while septic arthritis is the infection of the fluid and tissue of a joint. These infections occur most commonly in young children and in older people, but all age groups are at risk. When these infections are suspected, antimicrobial treatment needs to be started immediately. Thus, rapid microbiological diagnostics is a cornerstone for adequate treatment.

“Every year, more than 150,000 people get osteomyelitis or septic arthritis within the EU. With Prove-it Bone and Joint, physicians get the diagnosis in hours instead of days. This will significantly improve the treatment of these common severe infections,” said Jaakko Pellosniemi, CEO of Mobidiag. “The fact that Prove-it Bone and Joint was developed from an idea into a concrete product within a few months shows the great applicability of Mobidiag’s Prove-it technology.”

Mobidiag’s rapid tests help reduce costs in hospitals. For example, the average time a sepsis patient has to spend in hospital is 12 days and Mobidiag’s test can reduce this time 1-2 days for one fifth of the patients the with faster and more accurate diagnostics. In a hospital of 750 beds, this translates to yearly cost savings of over 500 000 euros.

The Prove-it™ Bone and Joint assay includes the identification of more than 50 bacterial species thus providing a comprehensive view of the cause of infection. The performance of the PCR and microarray-based Prove-it™ Bone and Joint will be established during Q2-Q3 in clinical setting, followed by the CE IVD marking and sales starting Q3/ 2009. Before the CE IVD status, the product will be available for research use only. The Prove-it™ Bone and Joint was developed in co-operation with Hospices Civils de Lyon.

Contact:
CEO Jaakko Pellosniemi, Mobidiag Ltd, tel. 358 40 501 1004, jaakko.pellosniemi@mobidiag.com

Mobidiag Ltd is a Finnish biotechnology company developing, producing and marketing rapid diagnostic tests to hospital laboratories. The company focuses on detection of serious infections with DNA-tests. More information at www.mobidiag.com.