Microba Life Sciences Limited (ASX: MAP) is thrilled to announce they have locked in a commercial agreement with leading pathology provider Sonic Healthcare Limited (ASX: SHL), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology Pty Ltd, to enable the distribution of Microba’s advanced infectious disease test MetaPanel™ right across Australia.
Microba and Sonic Healthcare have taken their $17.8 million strategic partnership to the next level with the announcement of the exclusive MetaPanel™ Distribution Agreement. Sonic Healthcare is now authorised to distribute Microba’s microbiome testing technology across Australia, providing them with a significant advantage over competitors in the market. This marks a major milestone in the strategic partnership between the two companies and is sure to be a success due to its widespread accessibility in the Sonic Healthcare Australia Pathology network.
Microba is delighted to partner with Sonic Healthcare to bring its breakthrough MetaPanel™ technology to clinicians and their patients throughout Australia. This cutting-edge pathology test is a world-first, offering comprehensive metagenomic testing for gastrointestinal infectious diseases. Sonic Healthcare, a leading provider of high-quality pathology services, will be responsible for rolling out Microba’s MetaPanel™ test nationally.
This marks Sonic Australia’s launch into the global distribution of Microba’s products, with plans to expand reach into additional markets across the globe. According to Dr Luke Reid, Chief Executive Officer of Microba, the partnership is an exciting venture that opens the door to new possibilities for patients.
About the MetaPanel Technology
MetaPanel™ is revolutionizing the way in which gastrointestinal infectious disease is diagnosed. Powered by Microba’s advanced metagenomics technology, the diagnostic test can detect bacteria, fungi, parasites, DNA viruses, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes, allowing clinicians to pinpoint precise, effective treatment solutions for their vulnerable patients. With the help of Sonic Healthcare Douglass Hanley Moir and Professor Paul Griffin from the Mater Hospital Brisbane, Microba is striving to create a new standard of care for gastrointestinal infectious disease pathology.
About the gastrointestinal infectious disease pathology market
Globally, the overprescription of antibiotics and increasing concern around antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is driving the demand for pathogen and AMR testing. This has become especially important for those with high-risk gastrointestinal infections, with over 16 million such patients receiving routine testing in a hospital setting each year.
Unfortunately, most current diagnostic testing methods such as culturing and PCR are limited in their ability to cover a full range of pathogenic organisms and AMR genes, and often require sequential testing which leads to delayed decisions about treatment regimens. Microba’s MetaPanel™ technology has the potential to revolutionize testing protocols, delivering broad coverage of pathogens, genes and virulence factors from a single test, enabling more accurate, targeted treatments.
About Sonic Healthcare
Sonic Healthcare is one of the leading providers in healthcare worldwide, renowned for their exemplary laboratory medicine/pathology, radiology, and primary care medical services. With over 41,000 professionals employed around the globe, Sonic is the largest private pathology operator in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK, the second-largest in Belgium and New Zealand, and third-largest in the USA. They are dedicated to providing the best quality services for clinicians, hospitals, and their patients in all of their locations. Sonic is making sure people receive the best quality of care all around the world.
About Microba Life Sciences Limited
At Microba Life Sciences, we believe that harnessing our precision microbiome technology is the key to unlocking a healthier future for us all. We are passionate about making discoveries that will lead to the development of powerful therapeutics for chronic diseases, while also providing gut microbiome testing services for the global community. Our collaborations with renowned organisations are enabling us to explore the link between the microbiome, health and disease and make groundbreaking progress towards new health solutions.