Panadea Diagnostics: new start-up for better infection diagnostics

"Get the right result, every time": the start-up Panadea Diagnostics has set this as the goal of its work. Operating since April 2023, the biotechnology company founded by researchers at Hamburg's Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) develops special technologies for antibody detection of tropical and emerging infectious diseases.

Dr. Christina Deschermeier explains in an interview with MEDICA-tradefair.com why these tests are urgently needed in the fight against infectious diseases.

Dr. Deschermeier, what does the start-up Panadea Diagnostics do?

Dr. Christina Deschermeier: Panadea Diagnostics develops, produces and sells diagnostic tests for the detection of antibodies against tropical and emerging infectious diseases. In doing so, we use a patented platform technology that allows tests for the detection of antibodies against various infectious diseases to be constructed according to the same basic principle. The tests developed in this way show significantly improved specificity compared to other commercially available test systems. This means that fewer false positive results are displayed and the conclusions drawn are therefore more reliable.

What provided the impetus for founding the start-up?

Deschermeier: Panadea Diagnostics GmbH was founded in November 2021 by three employees of the BNITM, including myself, in Hamburg. The BNITM has traditionally been heavily involved in the diagnosis and patient care of travelers returning to the country and also in epidemiological studies in endemic areas. In these activities, we have recognized the need for in-house development of improved tests. This is because commercially available tests in particular – if they exist at all for the relevant pathogens – do not always work reliably when used in endemic areas.

How easy or difficult is it to set up a company like Panadea Diagnostics?

Deschermeier: The idea of a spin-off actually existed for a very long time. However, a longer preliminary phase was necessary to create suitable conditions. Together with the BNITM board, the conditions for licensing the patents to Panadea Diagnostics GmbH and the future cooperation were worked out and corresponding contracts were concluded. In addition, the acquisition of private investors took place. Very helpful in the current development of the company is our international team of founders with their different professional backgrounds. Thus, we cover all necessary expertise.

What was the starting point on which you were able to build when you founded the company?

Deschermeier: The platform technologies used by Panadea Diagnostics were developed by researchers at BNITM and are now licensed to Panadea Diagnostics. Based on these technologies, several prototype assays have already been developed at BNITM, which we are now further developing and marketing. The development work at BNITM, as well as the preparatory activities for commercialization of the assays and the spin-off of a company, were supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the WIPANO and EXIST programs of the German Federal Ministry of Economics, among others.

What are the challenges in your work?

Deschermeier: It is essential to establish close links with specialized institutions, especially in endemic areas. This is important for the development and validation of the antibody tests and the acquisition of potential customers. In addition, we still need to implement the necessary regulations of ISO13485 as well as the new In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation (IVDR) in order to be able to provide the tests later,not only for research purposes but also for use in diagnostic laboratories.

Why is there such an enormous demand for such antibody tests in the countries of the global South and in tropical medical research?

Deschermeier: Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, but also due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the emergence of Mpox, awareness has grown that monitoring is a very important activity. What diseases are occurring where, both in humans and in animals? How do these infections spread? Who is particularly at risk?

In addition, due to globalization and climate change, the geographic spread of certain diseases and vectors such as mosquitoes or ticks can be expected. This is of importance not only for the countries of the global South, but also for Europe and worldwide, respectively.

What makes your tests stand out?

Deschermeier: The greatest advantage is certainly the achievability of a significantly increased specificity even in samples from endemic areas. This is because the differentiation of various related pathogens that occur simultaneously at the same location – such as Zika virus infections in dengue virus endemic areas – is difficult or impossible using conventional methods. Moreover, due to the promiscuity of the human capture molecule used, the assays can be easily adapted for use with sera of animal origin, which is of interest for studies of zoonotic diseases.

For which diseases have you developed tests in detail?

Deschermeier: Our portfolio includes IgM and IgG ELISA tests for Zika virus, SARS-CoV-2, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Lassa virus.

Currently, we are developing tests to detect antibodies to additional flaviviruses (dengue virus, West Nile virus, yellow fever virus), filoviruses (Ebola virus, Sudan virus, Marburg virus), and Rift Valley fever virus, among others. For some of these tests, the market launch is already planned for 2023.

Why exactly for these viruses?

Deschermeier: The diseases are listed on the World Health Organization's Blueprint List of Priority Diseases due to their high epidemic potential as well as insufficient or missing prevention, therapy and diagnostic measures and/or have a high relevance in the endemic areas.