GenturaDx to showcase IDbox molecular diagnostic system at AMP 2010

GenturaDx will display its proprietary molecular diagnostic system, the IDbox System, at the annual meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) in San Jose, Calif. on November 17 – 20, 2010.  The IDbox System incorporates all aspects of its proprietary, real-time PCR testing from sample preparation through result generation in a single-use cassette.

GenturaDx is focused on providing hospitals with high-performance, practical molecular diagnostic solutions that offer affordable instrument and reagent costs. The IDbox System, with its workflow-focused, next generation design, brings rapid, highly specific and sensitive nucleic acid detection capabilities to laboratories of any size.

The IDbox System's unique engineering design incorporates proprietary PCR technology and allows for sample processing of one to 12 samples per instrument in two to four hours. The company anticipates offering a rapidly expanding menu of assays and will focus initially on women's health and respiratory illnesses.

"Current fully automated molecular testing platforms offer clear advantages over traditional laboratory approaches, but high operating and capital costs put them out of reach for many hospitals," said Mark Bagnall, president of GenturaDx. "We have surveyed more than 200 laboratory managers, and we clearly heard their need for a high-performance and easy-to-use molecular diagnostics platform and assays at a cost that fits their hospital budgets."

Supported by top-tier venture capital firms Bay City Capital (San Francisco) and DT Capital (Shanghai), the company is pursuing a global manufacturing strategy, building a cost structure that brings high quality testing and greater economic value to hospital laboratories. As the company approaches commercialization in 2011, it has attracted a seasoned management team led by Mark Bagnall, a life sciences industry veteran with significant depth of leadership experience managing and growing venture-backed companies.  

Bagnall is joined by Juliet Carrara, vice president of regulatory and clinical affairs, and Deborah Wright, vice president of operations, in company management. Carrara has more than 20 years of medical device regulatory experience, managing U.S. and international regulatory submissions that include 510(k) device approvals, CLIA waivers, CE mark and Canadian and Japanese licenses. Wright has been in the biotechnology, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries for over 30 years, previously holding leadership roles at Cepheid, Syva Company and Bio-Rad Laboratories.

Jesus Ching, PhD, now in the role of chief scientific officer, co-founded the company and attracted early investors. Ching has developed significant intellectual property in his previous roles at Cepheid and Ciphergen Biosystems. Dylan Bird, senior director of business development, will lead GenturaDx into product commercialization in 2011. Bird previously worked for venture capital investment firm Bay City Capital and Posit Science Corporation, a neurotechnology start-up.