COVID-19: Singapore test kit manufacturer and biomedical sciences contract research company offering their services via outsourcing agreement

The Singapore-based company, founded in 2010, specialises in translational research to fill gaps in the early stages of the drug discovery and development value chain, specifically novel target discovery and lead generation. The company's primary focus is on cancer, a disease with significant unmet medical needs for prescribed drugs. This Singapore company's target identification and validation strategies provide an integrated approach that includes clinical sample analysis, systems biology, bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, disease markers, target-specific in vitro, cell-based, and in vivo studies to better understand the role of the targets in cancer. With one of their core focus on the mind which is infectious disease diagnostics, the company has developed and manufactured its Covid-19 diagnostic test kit that is used for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA virus in oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swab specimens using one-step reverse transcription and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The RT-PCR was used to detect two SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA sequences. The RT-PCR procedure takes approximately 1.5 hours. The maximum number of samples per 1.5-hour run is 46. Subsequently, the maximum number of samples per kit is 276 and the kit can perform up to 6 RT-PCR runs. The Singapore company also provides other products and services, which are divided into seven major categories: 1) Project procedure and management which provides consultation and services for pharmaceutical companies in varied areas of preclinical drug development. 2) Target identification, validation, and enablement consultancy and research and development services to offer target selection is the earliest phase of research and development in the drug discovery and development value chain. 3) Biomarker discovery services include the development and provision of suitable direct or surrogate biomarkers such as gene signatures and protein modifications in order to effectively realise the goals of personalised medicine and maximize the potential of targeted therapy compounds and biologics. 4) Assay development services to develop a panel of robust, single- or multi-plex in vitro and cell-based phenotypic assays for different target classes including kinases (transmembrane and cytosolic), receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), epigenetics enzymes, metabolic enzymes for target discovery or lead generation. 5) Pre-clinical drug development services which conduct secondary screens for lead generation, comprising kinetics studies (compound mechanism of action), hit assessment, lead optimisation, and candidate selection. 6) Standard cell and molecular biology work offers a comprehensive range of standard cell and molecular biology work to offer a more complete solution for research needs. 7) Other services include gathering bridging or validation data for assessment of technologies and assets that clients (e.g., technology transfer departments of universities, research institutes, and hospitals) are evaluating for licensing but lack the capabilities to perform the key experiments as part of the due diligence for decision-making. The company has been actively producing and selling these kits in Singapore, and they can manufacture and sell these Covid-19 kits to countries all over the world. Aside from the kits, the company can offer a variety of other healthcare products and services. This Singapore company is looking for European partners to offer their products and services through the outsourcing agreement.