New Joint Venture NEMIS Technologies, Formed by Biosynth and Ramot at Tel Aviv University Develops Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Pathogenic Bacteria in Food Safety and Clinical Applications

STAAD, Switzerland and TEL AVIV, Israel, May 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Pathogenic bacteria are considered to be one of the biggest threats to global health in the future of mankind. Continuous population growth, increasing mobility, the growing number of foodborne illnesses and emerging resistance of bacteria against current antibiotic treatments are multiple challenges which urgently require breakthrough ideas and innovations in faster, highly specific, efficacious, easy-to-handle and cost-efficient diagnostic tests.

Biosynth, a Swiss-based developer of reagents and biologically active chemicals, and RAMOT, the Tel Aviv University Business Engagement Center, have announced the incorporation of a Joint Venture, NEMIS Technologies, complemented by industry professionals. The jointly developed technology platform AquaSpark^TM forms the basis of NEMIS Technologies' development of diagnostic kits and solutions for rapid pathogenic bacteria detection in food safety, hospital and clinical applications and water treatment.

AquaSpark™ enables highly sensitive chemiluminescence probes for research and diagnostic applications. Pathogenic, potentially life threating bacteria are made visible with light signals at much faster speed than with current standard methods, thus reducing effectively important safety risks at highly competitive cost.

Urs Spitz, CEO of Biosynth, commented: "Today is a great day for the fight against dangerous bacteria. I am very confident that AquaSpark™ and our easy-to-handle diagnostic kits and solutions will have the potential to replace today's market standard, fluorescence-based tests, as much as these once replaced color tests." Shlomo Nimrodi, RAMOT's CEO, added "We are excited that our science will be brought to affordable, highly effective technical applications to avoid huge safety challenges throughout the world, potentially saving innumerous lives." The new company NEMIS Technologies will be led by the CEO Arnaud Muller, a seasoned health care executive. Both Urs Spitz and Shlomo Nimrodi have been appointed to the Board of Directors with Roger Meier, an experienced start-up and growth company builder, acting as the Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors is complemented by Joerg Brun, a senior food professional who was, amongst other positions in the food industry, responsible for the whole food business at Switzerland's largest Retailer, Migros.