BIOGENES AIMS TO EXPAND APTAMER TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALISATION IN ASIAN REGION WITHIN 5 TO 10 YEARS

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- Sensor technology provider, Biogenes Technologies Sdn Bhd, aims to increase the commercialisation of test kit technology using aptamers built by the company, APTSENS, in the Asian region within the next five to 10 years, founder and chief commercial officer Adrian Joseph said.

Aptamers are fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that can be shaped to attach to various forms of organisms in the body, including viruses, bacteria and hormones.

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Biogenes uses aptamer as an adhesive to identify viruses and other bacteria using its biosensor technology.

Adrian said APTSENS is able to perform a test similar to a rapid test kit and identify viruses and bacteria within 20 minutes.

He said currently, the startup has expanded its wings to Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

“Biogenes has developed three platform technologies namely APTCAD, APTFAP and APTSENS kit.

“These are the three technologies of our platform and now, Biogenes is in the process of moving the 300 aptamers we have to this rapid test kit,” he told Bernama in an interview recently.

He said the company had combined its biosensor technology and aptamer during the Movement Control Order period, where samples of the COVID-19 virus were difficult to obtain.

“What we do is we consult with the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), which at that time, introduced a fund called NTIS Sandbox.

“So, Biogenes applied for this fund and with the advice of MTDC, we modified a laboratory capable of producing the virus without importing it from abroad.

He said Biogenes is currently working to improve the commercialisation of the technology so that it could be owned by many, especially Malaysians.

Adrian said the company used a digital system that recorded the health level of the user for the self-monitoring process as well as facilitated the health industry to identify viruses and bacteria.

He said the APTSENS application has helped Biogenes’ customers consisting of research and development industry players to develop their own technologies.

“For example, a researcher from Universiti Sains Malaysia is studying an easier way to detect the HPV (human papillomavirus), which is currently using the pap smear method.

“Using the APTSENS kit and our aptamer, he was able to create a kit that uses urine so more women can be tested.

“The process is still in lab testing but we are able to increase our customers’ ability to think innovatively,” he said.

He said Biogenes intended to attract and guide more industrial trainees from universities and youths in the future to develop their own technology using APTSENS.

“If you want to develop technology, the most important thing is to be patient because commercialisation in biotechnology takes a long time and you have to believe that what is made is worth it,” he added.

-- BERNAMA