The European Innovation Council (EIC) awards the AcouSort project AcouSome SEK 26 million to develop groundbreaking technology for exosome-based diagnostics
Exosomes are nanoparticles that enable human cells to communicate vital information with each other. They have potential to open a completely new field within diagnostics, as they can give us ‘status reports’ on organs such as the brain and heart, as well as give us vital information on tumor diseases, infectious diseases, pregnancy and stem cells conditions. EIC has announced that they grant AcouSort and its project partners SEK 26 million to develop an acoustofluidic thin-film actuated chip for exosome separation from blood. Of the SEK 26 million, SEK 12.2 million go directly to AcouSort, and the remainder of the funding is distributed to AcouSort’s partners Lund University, DTU, and Day One. The project will run for 36 months and is fully funded by the EU.
In 2013, James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Südhof were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology - Medicine for their discoveries of exosomes. Since then, significant research has been done in this field, but so far, very few practical applications have been developed.
The AcouSome project aims to develop a technology which separates exosomes from blood to enable a robust and reliable exosome-based diagnostics. If successful, the outcome of the project could open up a completely new and very promising field within diagnostics.
Currently, there are no adequately efficient methods to automatically isolate exosomes from whole blood. The ambition of the AcouSome project is to develop a component which enables a one-step, fully automated process. Since blood potentially is a highly infectious substance, the aim is to design an affordable disposable solution to minimize the contamination risk implied in all re-usable instruments. One part of the project is therefore to devise a production platform which can ramp up product volumes to achieve a low unit cost.
The proposal has been through a tough two-step evaluation process before being awarded. The final step involved pitching the proposal in front of a panel of six independent specialists.
“The proposed solution has a high degree of novelty and disruptiveness and has the potential to develop a new market related to the emerging sector of exosome-based diagnostics. Therefore, the timing is right in terms of the feasibility and the technological readiness.” (Quotation from the specialist panel report)
Upon receiving the good news, CEO Torsten Freltoft, AcouSort says:
“At AcouSort, we are absolutely thrilled to have been given this opportunity to further develop diagnostics of the future. Exosomes represent a fantastic and largely untapped opportunity to provide healthcare with dramatically enhanced diagnostic tools. Long-term, exosome-based diagnostics represent a major business opportunity for AcouSort. If the AcouSome project is as successful as we plan it to be, we will already in 2026 have access to a research market estimated at USD 661 million. From there, the road is paved to the much bigger exosome diagnostics market.”
This information is information that AcouSort AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out below, on August 13, 2022 13:30.
For further information on AcouSort, please contact:
Torsten Freltoft, CEO
Telephone: +45 2045 0854
E-mail: torsten.freltoft@acousort.com
About AcouSort
AcouSort AB (corporate registration number 556824-1037) is an innovative technology company focusing on developing products and solutions for integrated preparation of biological samples. With the help of sound waves, the company's products can separate blood cells, concentrate, purify and stain cells, exosomes and bacteria from biological samples. The technology of the company's products is acoustofluidics, where sound waves and microfluidics enable automated handling of samples in a range of application areas, from research on new biomarkers to the development of new diagnostic systems for near-patient testing – so-called Point-of Care (POC) systems. The company's commercialization strategy is based on the already proven business model of providing separation modules to diagnostic system manufacturers for integrated sample preparation as well as to continue the commercialization of the company's research instruments. With the help of the company's products and development of point-of-care tests, new diagnostic systems and treatments are enabled, addressing some of the most challenging disease areas of our time: cancer, infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases. AcouSort is listed at Nasdaq First North Growth Market. The company’s Certified Adviser is Erik Penser Bank, 08-463 83 00, mail to: certifiedadviser@penser.se Erik Penser Bank AB (publ), Apelbergsgatan 27, Box 7405, 103 91 Stockholm.