BD Biosciences Collaborates With ReaMetrix To Develop New, Affordable CD4 Testing Products To Help Fight HIV/AIDS In Developing Countries
BD Biosciences, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), announced today a new strategic collaboration with ReaMetrix, a private biotechnology company based in Bangalore, India, to develop dried reagents for its BD FACSCount™ Flow Cytometry System, which is used throughout Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America for CD4 monitoring of HIV/AIDS patients. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“For more than a decade, the BD FACSCount System has served as the system of choice for CD4 monitoring in global HIV/AIDS treatment programs, known for its simplicity, robust performance and reliability,” said Bill Rhodes, President, BD Biosciences. “Collaborating with ReaMetrix, a state-of-the-art R&D company in India, offers BD the opportunity to increase our reach even further into resource-limited settings where refrigeration is unavailable.”
Poor access to laboratory testing facilities is one of the predominant issues affecting patient access to CD4 monitoring in developing countries. CD4 testing assesses a patient’s immune system and guides clinicians in the proper administration of anti-HIV therapies. Many countries lack the needed infrastructure to ensure timely and reliable testing for their HIV/AIDS patients. A shortage of skilled laboratory professionals, along with the significant challenges of transporting, storing and using temperature-sensitive products and blood samples, are real barriers to adequate, appropriate and cost-effective treatment in these resource-limited settings.
ReaMetrix’ innovative dried-down reagent process opens up the opportunity to address these unmet needs directly. This dried-down delivery format eliminates the need for refrigeration and exhibits a high degree of correlation with the conventional liquid format, allowing more locations to provide CD4 counting.
“At ReaMetrix, we are excited about launching this collaboration with BD to help develop and provide solutions to some of the fundamental challenges facing clinicians and laboratory professionals in developing countries,” said ReaMetrix Chief Executive Officer Bala S. Manian, Ph.D. “In BD, we see a great strategic collaborator not only with extensive global experience and reach, but also a strong commitment to improving global health.”