Company information:
Ambri Limited is pioneering the integration of Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Electronics with a major focus in the human medical diagnostics market.
The Company is Australian owned and was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX:ABI) in August 2001 and is currently located in Chatswood, Sydney, Australia.
Ambri has developed the Ion Channel Switch (ICS ™
Technology which is a patented, self assembling synthetic bio-membrane. This is one of the world`s first true `bio nano` devices and has a wide and varied potential of applications in many markets. Ambri`s current strategy is to develop the SensiDx™ System a point-of-care diagnostic system, for the hospital critical care diagnostic market. The System comprises an analyzer and series of test specific disposable cartridges that contain biosensors based on Ambri`s patented ICS™ technology. The system has been developed to test whole blood directly from a standard collection tube which provides many advantages over competitive systems.
Specialising in point-of-care (PoC) testing, Ambri is initially focusing on the tests required for critical care units. Critical care (PoC) testing encompasses: emergency departments (ED), cardiac care units (CCU), intensive care units (ICU). the operating room (OR), neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and pediatric intensive care units (PICU). In determining the magnitude and size of this market, statistics indicate that over 109 million admissions to the ED were made in the US alone in the year 2000 (American Hospital Association, Hospital Statistics, 2001).
The rapid growth of PoC testing is driven by a combination of factors including turnaround time (TAT), the time from test ordering to patient treatment. Nowhere is this time reduction more needed than the area of critical care medicine where PoCT testing promises to provide on site accurate diagnostic results in five minutes of a physician’s order. Such results would improve patient outcomes, reduce patient acuity, mortality and morbidity while improving efficiency and, therefore, improve patient throughput and quality of care while reducing costs.
Ambri’s positioning of its SensiDx™ System in critical care necessitates it recognises the contemporary trend towards the hybrid laboratory. The hybrid laboratory is distributed but clinically targeted testing. This means the SensiDx™ System will adapt itself to the overall trend to managed care requiring minimization of TAT, optimisation of drug usage, total quality and integration of results determined not only in its own systems but those collected at the bedside in the central pathology laboratory both within the hospital and off site.
The underlying proprietary technology of the SensiDx™ System is securely patented and is uniquely posistioned to maximise the technology`s underlying benefits.
Market requirements for an effective PoC system are:
· No reagents
· No delays (real time monitoring)
· No discontinuities
· Efficient (integrated)
· Cost effective (benefits>costs)
· Efficacious (improves outcomes)
· Broad potential test menu
The SensiDx™ System fulfills all of these market requirements.