SenzaGen receives patent protection for GARDskin™ in China
Lund, July 11th 2018 - SenzaGen (Nasdaq First North: SENZA) announces today that the Chinese Patent Office (CPO) has granted a patent for GARDskin™, the company's test that analyses the risk that chemical substances will induce skin allergies. The tests in the GARD™ portfolio outperform all currently available traditional validated methods, while at the same time eliminating the need for laboratory animals, as they are performed in test tubes (in vitro). Taken in conjunction with the recruitment of a Business Development Coordinator for the Asian market, this patent strengthens SenzaGen's future market opportunities in Asia.
The recently granted Chinese patent covers the analytical methods and genetic signatures that form the basis of SenzaGen's GARDskin™ technology. The patent is valid until October 2031.
"China is a potentially important future market for us, and patent protection in China is another confirmation of our technology's merits and a new milestone in establishing our unique GARDskinTMtest method as a global industry standard. This complements European patent protection and further strengthens our potential in the global market of in vitro tests," says SenzaGen CEO, Anki Malmborg Hager.
A vital part of SenzaGen's business development is relations with contract laboratories, industry, government agencies and NGOs concerned with alternative testing methods. The market for in vitro methods is growing rapidly, although experiments on animals are still permitted for allergy tests in some parts of the world. Asia is a huge market and is growing fast, and it is therefore essential for SenzaGen to prepare the way for a future introduction of its tests there.
The announcement from the Chinese Patent Office relates to Chinese Patent No. CN 103429756 B entitled: "Analytical methods and arrays for use in the identification of agents inducing sensitization in human skin". Corresponding patent applications are currently being processed by the patent authorities in Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, South Korea and the United States.
For more information, please contact:
Anki Malmborg Hager, CEO, SenzaGen AB
Email: anki.malmborg.hager@senzagen.com
Telephone: +46 768 284822
About GARD™
GARD™ is a group of tests for assessing chemical skin sensitizers. The tests make use of genetic biomarkers for more than 200 genes which cover the entire immune reaction and are relevant to predicting the risk of hypersensitivity. The tests have over 90 percent reliability. This compares with the current predominant test method, experiments on mice, which has an accuracy of 70-75 percent. SenzaGen’s tests are also capable of measuring the potency of a substance’s allergenic properties. Consequently, GARD tests provide a much more comprehensive basis for determining whether a substance should be classified as an allergen than current testing methods.
About SenzaGen
SenzaGen makes it possible to replace animal experiments with in vitro genetic testing to determine the allergenicity of the chemicals we come into contact with in our daily lives, such as for example in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food products and dyes. The company’s patented tests are the most reliable on the market and provide more information than traditional evaluation methods. We ourselves sell the tests in Sweden and the USA, and we sell through partners in several other countries. Over the next few years the company will expand geographically, make alliances with more distribution partners and launch further unique tests. SenzaGen has its headquarters in Lund in Sweden and a subsidiary in San Francisco, USA. For more information visit www.senzagen.com.
The information was submitted for publication, through the contact person set out above on July 11th 2018 at 08:50
SenzaGen AB is listed on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm and FNCA is the company’s Certified Adviser. For more information, please visit www.senzagen.com.
