Syniads’ Gemina Laboratories’ Antibody Immobilization Chemistry Platform Demonstrates Major Lateral Flow Assay Performance Improvement

May 17th, 2023, Vancouver, British Columbia: Syniad Innovations Inc. (“Syniad”) is delighted to share a significant breakthrough achieved by one of its ventures, Gemina Laboratories Ltd. (CSE: GLAB) (FRA:817) (the “Company” or “Gemina”), with the development of a patented chemistry for Antibody Immobilization. This cutting-edge chemistry has demonstrated the remarkable ability to achieve a substantial reduction in antibody usage when applied in lateral flow assay (“LFA”) diagnostic tests.

This represents the confirmation of a major technical milestone in the LFA format for Gemina. The Antibody Immobilization Platform allows for the reduction of test line antibody requirements by 75% vs. standard physisorption, without impacting limit-of-detection.

Gemina’s Antibody Immobilization Platform creates a bridge (the “Gemina Bridge”) between a sensor surface and the antibodies stuck on that surface for target capture. Use of the Gemina Bridge results in optimized antibody usage and increased target capture activity per unit area of the sensor surface. Therefore, the use of the Gemina Bridge imparts both significant performance advantages and significant manufacturing advantages with LFA tests.

The industry standard antibody immobilization technique on nitrocellulose used in LFAs – non-specific physisorption, results in only 5-20% of the antibodies deposited on a sensor being “active” or capable of target capture. The Gemina Bridge rescues this lost antibody activity, meaning much less antibody is required to deliver the same test performance. To view a video demonstration, please click here.

Laboratory Study 

This massive reduction in antibody requirements was thoroughly demonstrated on the lateral flow assay test line with a COVID-19 rapid antigen test developed by Gemina Labs at the RAPIvD laboratories in Sharnbrook, UK.  Instead of striping the antibodies directly onto the nitrocellulose (NC) strip, the Gemina Bridge is first stripped down to form a closely packed monolayer, onto which the antibodies form a dense secondary layer with four times higher target capture activity than standard antibody-only test lines.

A White Paper highlighting the findings can be accessed here.

Modelling Study 

Dr. Robert Davies, an independent surface chemist expert, specializing in lateral flow assay development, was engaged by Gemina Laboratories to model the adsorption of the Gemina Antibody Immobilization Bridge to nitrocellulose, in comparison to optimal close packing of non-specifically adsorbed IgG antibodies. Calculations support the creation of four times more antibody immobilization sites per unit of surface area with the Gemina Bridge, as highlighted in the above-linked white paper.

Summary

In summary, the Gemina Antibody Immobilization Platform acts as a bridge between a sensor surface, in this instance the nitrocellulose test strip in a lateral flow assay, and the antibody used for target capture.  Modelling data and internal experimental results indicate that the use of the Gemina Bridge increases the density of active antibodies on the test strip by four times versus standard immobilization methods, meaning 75% less antibody is needed with the Gemina Bridge to achieve the same performance as a standard test.  This represents massive savings in antibody consumption during test fabrication.

Robert Greene, Gemina’s CTO stated, “In light of the performance we’ve seen with the Gemina immobilization chemistry, the industry standard for optimal antibody usage on lateral flow assays stands to be significantly revised. We’ve shown that more can be done with much less, which is a critical step in the creation of affordable, high-quality diagnostics.”

“I’ve been developing lateral flow assays for 35 years, and the Gemina Bridge is the first chemistry that I’ve worked with that allows for such a marked reduction in antibody requirements while still delivering the quality I demand of the tests we develop at RAPIvD,” stated Robert Porter, Gemina’s President & CEO of RAPIvD. “This breakthrough is truly a game changer for LFA’s and diagnostics.”

About Gemina Laboratories Ltd.

Gemina Labs is a biosensor and diagnostic company with a transformative, patented, proprietary chemistry that powers next-generation testing platforms for a wide range of pathogens that affect human health and wellness. Our technology drives testing platforms that are fast, affordable, accurate, and easily self-administered. Our development pipeline includes platforms for the rapid testing of COVID-19, influenza, and other viruses. www.geminalabs.com

About Syniad

Founded in Vancouver in 2016, Syniad Innovations Inc originates and helps build breakthrough deep technology companies around cutting-edge advances in science & engineering born in Canadian Universities. Syniad addresses critical global challenges by partnering with exceptional researchers and providing them the expertise and capital required to develop and commercialize their ideas into globally impactful products.       www.syniadinnnovations.com

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