NEW YORK, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — KellBenx, a
biotechnology company focused on the development of non-invasive
prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) of genetic and inherited disorders,
announced today that it has signed an exclusive agreement with
AdnaGen, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alere, Inc., to license
specific antibodies. Under the agreement, KellBenx will have
exclusive worldwide rights to commercialize the antibodies, which
enable the extraction of clinically relevant information from
maternal blood through a test that could be widely available as
early as 2012.
Fetal Nucleated Red Blood Cells (FNRBCs), which have been
identified in maternal blood, can be a source for monitoring and
diagnosis of maternal, fetal, and neo-natal health and disease. The
KellBenx process involves the enrichment of these FNRBCs with the
antibodies licensed from AdnaGen to perform chromosomal or genetic
analysis to identify markers of potential disorders. With these
antibodies, known as Monoclonal Antibodies with Specificity for
Fetal Erythroid Cells, KellBenx will be able to launch clinical
trials of its non-invasive test.
“We are delighted to secure a license that allows KellBenx to
use the AdnaGen antibodies,” said Hassan Bennani, MD., CEO of
KellBenx. “This agreement creates the opportunity to begin clinical
testing of the exciting laboratory results we have produced over
the past year, and it brings us one step closer to bringing a
non-invasive prenatal blood test to the market that can detect
genetic disorders.”
“We’re pleased to be able to help KellBenx advance a technology
that could have a profound impact on the detection and diagnosis of
fetal and neonatal genetic disorders,” said Alexander L. Weis,
Managing Director of AdnaGen AG. “Our proprietary antibodies will
enable the clinical tests that could make this non-invasive testing
a reality.”
About KellBenx
Founded in 2010, KellBenx, Inc. is a privately-held
biotechnology company
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