The Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) in Hamburg has long been a pioneer in the fields of tropical and emerging infectious disease research. It was at this institute that the Panadea Diagnostics GmbH founders developed and marketed the first products now transferred to Panadea. This is, however, only the beginning.
"Cutting edge research is being carried out in our research institutions - when these innovations are transformed into new companies, this is a great success for Hamburg as a location for science and business. I warmly congratulate the BNITM on the spin-off of Panadea! The company is the successful result of a transfer process over many years, which the science authority has supported intensively. The company is an excellent example of how research ideas can become innovations. With its business idea, Panadea is making an important contribution to improving the diagnosis of tropical diseases and thus contributing to better medical care, especially in the countries of the Global South." - Katharina Fegebank, Minister for Science, Research, Equalities and Districts
The agreement, signed on the 28th of March, 2023, covers not only the use of two patented technologies, but also guidelines for ongoing cooperations between BNITM and Panadea. It sets the basis for the transfer of the already widely-known BLACKBOX® ELISA test kits to be transferred for production and marketing by Panadea, as well as the framework for projects to develop further testing kits targeting antibody and antigen detection for neglected tropical diseases and emerging infectious diseases.
The technology rights which are now transferred to Panadea have been used successfully in research teams to detect antibodies in humans and several different animal species, including rodents and various ruminants. We at Panadea are excited about the possibilities of this technology with regards to One Health approaches. Entirely consisting of employees and ex-employees of the BNITM, our Panadea founder team is well aware of the importance of One Health in the prevention of, and response to, outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. We know that accurate surveillance of antibodies in both the human and animal populations infected by the viruses is key to understanding where the viruses are spreading and for guiding health systems to implement appropriate measures to prevent and reduce the spread of these pathogens. We are confident that the specialised tests that have been developed with these technologies, as well as further products for filovirus and flavivirus diagnostics earmarked for release in 2023, will be able to contribute significantly to One Health approaches to control neglecting and emerging infectious diseases listed as priority targets by the World Health Organisation.
"Our Institute has always focused on the development and implementation of innovative diagnostic methods for tropical and emerging infectious diseases. It is a great success that employees of ours can now set up their own company. This will make it possible to distribute the improved tests worldwide and to develop new tests. I would like to thank the Ministry and TuTech Innovation GmbH for their active advisory support." - Prof. Dr. Jürgen May, Chairman of the Board of BNITM
BNITM has been a member of a network of university- and non-university institutions in Hamburg for the transfer of technology since 2014. This network, supervised by the agency TuTech Innovation GmbH and supported by BMWK and BWFGB funding, has a common goal to improve the economic exploitation and protection of inventions stemming from public research.
"We at Panadea, are convinced that the high-quality products we are developing in collaboration with BNITM will fill a great need for reliable tests in the fight to monitor and protect against outbreaks and epidemics of high-risk and highly impactful infectious diseases. For us, the signing of the licensing and collaboration agreement represents an essential milestone in this journey that we are wholeheartedly committed to. We are honoured at the privilege of having BNITM as our partner and to use this technology together with them to ensure that high quality testing products are developed, carefully tested and supplied to meet a huge need in the field of neglected diseases." - Dr. Yang Liu, CEO Panadea Diagnostics GmbH
