The USPTO grants the Group the patent protecting the molecular fingerprinting method behind Sagitta™ multiplex solutions and Vytro diagnostic kits
Helyx Industries S.p.A. has been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) the patent covering its proprietary molecular fingerprinting technology for the detection and genotyping of DNA targets by PCR (U.S. application No. 16/625,660, publication No. US20200123598A1). It is the first grant in this patent family, and it lands in one of the most relevant markets worldwide for molecular diagnostics.
The patent covers a deep multiplexing method that makes it possible to identify and tell apart multiple targets in a single PCR reaction: different strains of the same pathogen, pathogens from separate genera, genetic variants. It does so by combining a proprietary set of amplification primers, an optimized reaction chemistry and a downstream High Resolution Melting (HRM) analysis. The difference with conventional probe-based approaches — think TaqMan — is substantial: here, a single intercalating dye and a single fluorescence channel are all that is needed. The result is a diagnostic workflow that is simpler and more cost-effective, and that can run on any real-time thermocycler with adequate HRM resolution.
A technology that runs across the whole Group
Deep multiplexing is one of the cross-cutting technology pillars of Helyx Industries. It already underpins the HPV and STDs diagnostic kits marketed by the Vytro Division, it powers the Sagitta™ reagent line, and it fits naturally into the distributed qPCR solutions of the Hyris Division — in particular the Hyris System™ (HYRIS bCUBE™ + bAPP™).
"The U.S. grant is a meaningful recognition of the technical value and originality of our approach to multiplexing. It is a technology that changes the cost-performance equation of molecular diagnostics: more tests, more informative, on simpler instruments. This is exactly what our R&D effort is about — building a proprietary platform that runs across all our Divisions."
— Lorenzo Colombo, CTO at Helyx Industries
A growing IP portfolio
The U.S. grant is part of a broader IP strategy the Group is pursuing internationally, with further applications under examination in other jurisdictions. Just last week, Helyx Industries announced the filing of an international PCT patent application for a smart remote calibration device for HYRIS bCUBE™: two closely-spaced milestones of the same trajectory. For a company listed on Euronext Growth Milan, strengthening the IP portfolio — especially in markets like the U.S. — is a distinctive asset and a driver of value creation for shareholders.
The Group will continue to update the market on the next steps of its patent strategy.
