BioView and ScreenCell inked a commercial collaboration that will apply BioView’s Automated Cell Imaging Systems to image circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated using ScreenCell’s CytoKit® platform. ScreenCell was established to develop a simple technology for quickly isolating rare circulating cells, such as CTCs in the peripheral blood of cancer patients, circulating fetal cells in maternal blood samples, or circulating tumor microemboli. The France-based firm claims the standalone system is designed for standardized IVD assays and platforms, takes just three minutes to carry out filtration, and allows the filtering of fixed as well as live cells to analyze residual fluid.
In May the firm signed a worldwide distribution agreement for its isolation devices and dilution buffers with Affymetrix, such that the latter is now the exclusive distributor of ScreenCell® products used in combination with in situ hybridization (ISH) assays, microarray assays, and other non-PCR based nucleic acid assays, including Affymetrix’ own QuantiGene® ViewRNA assays, QuantiGene® Plex assays, and GeneChip® microarray assays.
"Our goal in designing ScreenCell technologies was to create a universal system not limited to detection of cells of nonepithelial origin and free of any bias potentialy linked to the use of antibodies for cell capture," states David Znaty, CEO. "Our objective is to support a breakthrough in personalized medicine by creating a noninvasive evaluation of specific therapeutic targets and real-time monitoring of target evolution which we strongly believe will be facilitated by combining ScreenCell and BioView technologies."
Israeli firm BioView is a specialist developer of cell imaging equipment, preparation kits, and software. Its flagship platform is an automated cell diagnostic system for use in cytology, cytogenetics, hematology, and pathology laboratories, which comprises an automated scanning imaging workstation called Duet™, an offline-workstation with proprietary software called Solo™, and preparation kits called BioWhite™, BioRed™, and BioBlue™. The Duet provides automated detection, classification, analysis, and counting of cells of interest, analyzing both the morphology and the genetic content of the same cell.
BioView also offers the Allegro scanning workstations for automated scanning of FISH probes without Brightfield scanning, and the Accord system for the semi-automated imaging of FISH for breast cancer (Her-2/Neu) and for FISH on tissue. The firm has received FDA and EC clearance for a range of kits and applications.