Diomics Announces Development of Diocheck™ Visual Antibody Indicator

Proprietary Diomat™ Technology Enables Long-Term Antibody Detection to Assist in COVID-19 Monitoring

SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Diomics, a San Diego-based biotech company, today announced that it is currently developing the Diocheck™ Antibody Indicator, which provides a simple way for individuals to monitor for the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 over an extended period of time.

Based on Diomics’ proprietary usage of an FDA-approved material, Diomat™ bioresorbable polymer, Diocheck will be able to detect and report within 24 to 36 hours whether a person has developed a circulating level of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Currently in the pre-clinical testing phase, a positive response causes a visible change to the Diocheck skin patch, which resembles a nicotine patch and is expected to be effective for up to 14 days.

The Diocheck patch provides an innovative solution to monitoring the critical gap between when a person receives a vaccine and when a protective level of antibodies is circulating in the body, which current reports suggest could take several weeks. It can also signal when the antibodies stimulated by a vaccine have declined and the person needs a booster.

Diocheck was created to help reduce the uncertainty surrounding vaccines by offering independent, visual assurance of the presence of a protective level of antibodies as well as a way to monitor if antibody protection has waned.

The company is also developing a second, intradermal product that will use nanosized beads of the same biopolymer inserted just under the skin to detect and visually report the formation of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, potentially for up to one year, before being safely absorbed by the body.

Both forms of Diocheck are readily scalable and hold the promise of consistent, accurate, ongoing monitoring of the protective antibody status of essential front-line workers, including military, healthcare, transportation and public safety personnel, as well as teachers and students.

The Diocheck system is expected to move from pre-clinical to human clinical trials in late September 2020. Pre-clinical studies are taking place through a partnership between Diomics and the University of California, Irvine under the guidance of Jonathan R.T. Lakey, Ph.D. (Read more…), M.S.M., Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. UCI clinical trials will be led by Daniela Bota, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Dean for Clinical Research and her team at the Alpha Stem Cell Clinic.

According to Diomics CEO Anthony Zolezzi, “Diocheck is a unique approach to pandemic protection. Whether a person wishes to monitor the efficacy of a vaccine or use Diocheck because they have not been vaccinated, we plan to offer the public a variety of monitoring options.” He went on to explain, “Diocheck is like a modernized version of the 100-year-old tuberculosis test in which the presence of a SARS-CoV-2 antigen binding to the Diomat material results in an easily seen indication for early detection and monitoring.”

To learn more about Diocheck and the Diomics Pandemic Prevention Platform visit diomics.com.

About Diomics, Inc.

Diomics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on science-based innovation and the development of life-improving products. Our proprietary Diomat™ technology platform is optimized for the collection and delivery of compounds and proteins and can also be used for drug delivery, long-term monitoring, diagnostics and production of life-saving hormones and other bio-compounds. Based in San Diego, California, Diomics has developed numerous products, tools and services for the molecular, diagnostic and forensic industries. For more information visit diomics.com.

About UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic

The Alpha Stem Cell Clinic at the University of California, Irvine is part of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The clinic provides a centralized infrastructure from which to work with UCI faculty and staff to enhance stem cell clinical research and activities at UCI, promotes and facilitates scientific collaborations and interactions, and accelerates the implementation of clinical research trials.

Contacts

Indra Bowers

(619) 295-8232 x114 direct

(619) 865-3456 mobile

[email protected]

Jon Goldberg

(973) 241-1010 direct

(973) 699-7148 mobile

[email protected]