Collaboration Reached: Pluslife and FIND Set Establishment for Next-Generation POC Molecular Testing to Empower Women’s Healthcare in LMICs

Guangzhou Pluslife Biotechnology (Pluslife) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) have reached a strategic collaboration milestone.

Guangzhou Pluslife Biotechnology (Pluslife) and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) have reached a strategic collaboration milestone by confirming an agreement that strives to empower low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) diagnostic tool development for women’s healthcare in obtaining Next Generation Point of Care (POC) molecular testing technology to achieve better disease surveillance in the LMICs.

The coronavirus pandemic has posed huge challenges to global public health and welfare, especially LMICs during the past few years. FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics that seeks to ensure equitable access to reliable diagnoses around the world has realized that POC molecular diagnostic (MDx) platforms with multiple target detection play a significant role in detecting infection earlier and reducing onward transmission of SARS-CoV-2. However, the centralized format and expensive cost of current MDx platforms have caused insufficient diagnosis. Therefore, decentralized and affordable POC MDx platforms would allow more effective control of SARS-CoV-2 and other infections, such as HIV/HCV/HBV/HPV, and other bacterial infections.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the advancement of technologies that have the potential to make a huge impact. Point-of-care molecular testing, with the capacity to test for multiple diseases, can help us change the question from ‘is this COVID?’ to ‘what is this?’, in primary care clinics where most people first seek care,” said Dr. Marta Fernández Suárez, Chief Technology Officer at FIND. “We are pleased to be partnering with Pluslife to explore the potential of their promising technology as part of our mission to realize diagnosis for all.”

The collaboration between Pluslife and FIND aims to strengthen the MDx platforms of LMICs by providing affordable POC MDx platforms to increase women’s accessibility to essential diagnostics and tests. Currently, only 1% of primary healthcare facilities have access to essential diagnostics and some tests specifically needed by women are not available to all women in LMICs. Applying the Pluslife POC molecular system in such resource-limited settings can efficiently and economically increase the testing capability in primary healthcare facilities and rapidly expand the usage to lower-level medical facilities like clinics and test centers.

In future emphasis, one of the most significant characteristics of Pluslife’s Next-Generation POC molecular diagnostics is the multi-scenario application, which allows the decentralization of MDx in LMICs. During the COVID and other periods of infectious disease high prevalence, MDx platforms under a centralized format are often overloaded with samples due to the extensive testing volume. The Pluslife Next Generation POC molecular system can ease the burden of the entire health system, allowing tests to be conducted with a fast set-up time and no constraints in settings. Through the collaboration with FIND, Pluslife Biotech will make effectual and valuable contributions to foster decentralized POC platform adoption in LMICs with affordability and reliability.

“Pluslife and FIND shared the same goal to spur diagnostic innovation and make diagnostic more accessible to LMICs, it is truly a significant social responsibility for Pluslife to honor,” commented Pluslife CEO Noah Chen, “Pluslife Next-Generation POC molecular system will be launched as a reform of LMICs health system, to improve the efficiency of testing and the resilience of the different health channels, and finally achieves more accessible and affordable test for all,” Pluslife promises to make continuous dedications in the collaboration with FIND, together making diagnoses more accessible to improve the living standards for the LMICs population.