LifeCodexx AG partners with LifeCell to launch rapid and affordable non-invasive prenatal DNA Testing (NIPT) in India
Konstanz, June 7, 2017 – LifeCodexx AG, a pioneer in non-invasive prenatal DNA testing in Europe has announced its partnership with LifeCell, India’s leading mother & baby preventive health care provider, to bring PrenaTest® qNIPT™ testing for the first time to India.
The qNIPT™ technology that detects the presence of fetal trisomy 21 from maternal blood, received CE marking in December 2016 after a successful blinded clinical validation with close to 1000 samples demonstrating a 100% test concordance with results obtained from PrenaTest® based on next generation sequencing. Since applied in diagnostic laboratory routine, the novel qNIPT™ assay clearly demonstrates a significant cost-efficiency and rapid turnaround time compared to other NIPT techniques.
Mr. Mayur Abhaya, CEO and MD of Lifecell said: “We are excited to bring Prenatest® using qNIPT™ technology – the world’s most advanced NIPT technology – to India that would lead to substantially lower parental anxiety, as they would be able to make better informed decisions with access to reliable and affordable test results, yet with no risk to the fetus.”
“We are very pleased to have partnered with LifeCell since they have a long standing expertise in the field of preventive healthcare services for mother and child in the Indian market,” added Dr. Michael Lutz, CEO of LifeCodexx AG. “We are certain that our qNIPT™ technology will find a ready market in India due to its high cost-efficiency and rapid turnaround times, considering that India has a birth rate of over 25 million children per year.”
“Our laboratory for Prenatest® is being set-up and the service will be available for our customers post the festive season,” Mr Mayur Abhaya confirmed. A formal announcement is expected to be made during Children’s Day this day for the commencement of the services. PrenaTest® will be serviced under LifeCell flagship brand BabyShield, the division specialized in mother & baby diagnostic services.
This partnership adds to LifeCodexx previous strategic partnerships in early 2016 when the company enhanced the PrenaTest® availability in Switzerland and Germany through several technology transfers. All technology transfers are aided by LifeCodexx’ PrenaBoxx® NIPT data analysis solution which is running locally with the CE-marked PrenaTest® software installed, capable of analyzing data from both NGS and qNIPT™ technology platforms.
Headquartered in Konstanz (Germany), LifeCodexx AG has been developing innovative and clinically validated non-invasive molecular genetic tests based on the newest molecular analytical methods since 2010. With the PrenaTest®, Europe’s first non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) for the determination of the most common chromosomal disorders in unborn children, launched in 2012, LifeCodexx AG has been changing prenatal diagnostics considerably. The test is currently performed within Germany and Switzerland in strict conformity with the highest quality standards as per the European Directive on In-vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. With the development of a novel qPCR-based assay for the reliable prediction of preeclampsia early in the pregnancy, LifeCodexx AG will start to expand its product and service portfolio into the area of integrated pregnancy and prenatal care solutions.
Contact:
Elke Decker, MSc. MBA
Director Strategic Marketing and Corporate Communications
+49 (0) 7531-97 69 461
LifeCell, established in 2004, is India’s leading provider of preventive healthcare services for family wellness, such as stem cell banking and diagnostic testing, with facilities at Chennai & Gurgaon with a network spanning over 200 cities in India and abroad. BabyCord, LifeCell’s umbilical cord stem cell preservation services, is world’s second largest with over 50,000 parents preserving their baby’s stem cells with it each year and over 2,00,000 parents already having trusted LifeCell. With the recent launch of BabyCord Share, a community-based approach towards stem cell access, is a global first and aims to provide families in India better future access to stem cells than even currently possible in advanced countries such as the US. LifeCell’s processing, storage and testing facilities are the most accredited having received recognitions from domestic and global bodies such as the AABB (formerly American Association of Blood Banks), College of American Pathologists, National Accreditation Board for Laboratories, World Health Organization, amongst many others, and is also US FDA registered. BabyShield, LifeCell’s preventive genetic screening and diagnostic testing services, is India’s market leader for newborn screening services and recently forayed into prenatal screening.
Contact:
Krutika Rajkumar
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
+91 9884493607