Additional partnership in medical technology

Bosch and R-Biopharm to strengthen Vivalytic analysis platform - Seite 2

combating diseases and developing medicines," he adds.

Partnership goals: develop new PCR tests and strengthen sales

One development goal within the ten-year partnership is a test for
multiresistant gram-negative (MRGN) bacteria, which is to be implemented using
Bosch's innovative, novel BioMEMS technology. The healthcare system faces the
challenge of coping with an increasing number of diseases caused by
multiresistant bacteria: in 2019, antimicrobial resistance had a hand in 4.95
million deaths worldwide, and each year, 670,000 infections caused by
antibiotic-resistant bacteria occur in Europe. In recent years, these bacteria
have become a problem in hospitals - which administer particularly large
quantities of antibiotics in the course of treating patients. In addition to the
health risks, the financial burden of hygiene and quarantine measures in the
healthcare sector should not be underestimated.

Vivalytic: even faster and more efficient with Bosch BioMEMS technology

As compact as a desktop computer tower, the universal, fully automatic Vivalytic
Analyser is a platform for which various manufacturers can quickly and easily
adapt and implement tests. The test cartridges already contain all the necessary
reagents. "You could say we've shrunk a laboratory down to the size of a
smartphone," says Marc Meier, president of Bosch Healthcare Solutions. "BioMEMS
technology makes our Vivalytic platform even faster and more efficient, since
this high-performance silicon chip, developed and manufactured by Bosch, enables
fully automatic, simultaneous testing of up to 250 genetic characteristicssuch
as pathogens in a single test cartridge, in some cases in less than 15 minutes,"
he adds. "This marks the entry of Bosch and its partners into nanofluidics,
which processes very small quantities of liquids in the nanoliter range." This
further miniaturization underscores the advantages of the Vivalytic platform:
its compact size enables fast and targeted diagnostics directly at the point of
sample collection - either at the doctor's office or in the hospital - without
the frequently time-consuming detour via a central laboratory. Medically trained
specialists can carry out the PCR tests without special laboratory training.

The two companies want to develop further PCR tests to detect tuberculosis and
determine any drug resistance. A few days ago, Bosch announced its first
partnership with the Northern Irish medical technology company Randox
Laboratories Ltd. By the end of the decade, Bosch and its two partners will have
invested some 300 million euros in the further development of the Vivalytic
analysis platform.

Press photos and infographics are available on the Bosch Media Service at
www.bosch-press.com (http://www.bosch-presse.de) .

Contact:

Bosch contact:
Dörthe Warnk
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: mailto:[e-mail]

R-Biopharm contact:
Yvonne Kress
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: mailto:[e-mail]

Additional content: http://presseportal.de/pm/142767/5760236
OTS: Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH