PAML signs collaborative agreement with Axela

PAML announced today that the laboratory has entered into a collaborative agreement with Axela, Inc. to develop multiplex assays focused on immune status for vaccine preventable diseases. PAML is one of the nation's leading medical reference laboratories, and Axela focuses on multiplexed nucleic acid and protein analysis for clinical diagnostics.

Axela's core expertise in flow-through microarrays, detection strategies, and assay development serves as the foundation for novel molecular diagnostic solutions broadly encompassing 'point-of-care through reference laboratory' market needs. The company's applications have been demonstrated in allergy, oncology, infectious disease, and neurology specialties among others. Axela partners with diagnostic companies and laboratories to commercialize clinical tests and develop custom instrument solutions.

Francisco R. Velazquez, M.D., S.M., PAML's president and chief executive officer, said, "Partnering with Axela reflects PAML's strong commitment to technological innovation and the expansion of our esoteric test menu. Having access to rapid, sensitive, and highly multiplexed assays will allow us to economically target emerging customer needs such as the recent focus on verifying proper immunization. As our menu expands, we will take advantage of the exquisite sensitivity of Axela's technology to enable testing from additional specimen types such as the dried blood spots used in our direct-to-consumer Cinch™ offering."

These serologic assays will measure antibodies to a wide range of viruses including measles, mumps, and rubella as an aid in the determination of patient immunity. Based on Axela's new generation of flow-through arrays, these highly sensitive assays require only a single microliter of sample, representing less than a single drop of blood. The agreement also calls for expansion of the offering to a range of multiplex targets beyond the initial serological assays. PAML will provide the tests exclusively in the United States, while Axela will have the option to commercialize its bench top analyzer and point-of-use formats throughout the rest of the world.

Paul Smith, president and chief operating officer of Axela, added, "We are excited to be working with one of the top reference labs in the country to implement our new technology. We also share PAML's vision of making testing more accessible to the community by driving down the cost and complexity. Our platforms are capable of delivering a menu of both nucleic acid and protein tests economically, whether in a high throughput reference lab or a single point of use determination. Partnering with PAML, an organization that is highly focused on its customers, will ensure these new tests are designed to provide the best possible client and patient value."