Protagen AG,a leading specialist in the development of novel diagnostic tests and companion diagnostics in the autoimmune field, and Mikrogen GmbH, the European market leader in Lyme disease diagnostics, agreed on a co-development program for a new diagnostic assay to distinguish between previously infected, seropositive individuals, from newly infected patients with active Lyme disease.

The agreement builds on a previous research collaboration between both companies and the results obtained using the proprietary SeroTag^® technology developed by Protagen.

"Finding potential diagnostic biomarkers indicative of Lyme disease activity would be a breakthrough for diagnostics and therapy," explains Dr. Erwin Soutschek, founder and CEO of Mikrogen. "Employing the technology of Protagen, we have identified a new promising class of blood-based biomarkers with strong potential to fulfill this need.”

Protagen has already identified autoantibody biomarker panels and Mikrogen will develop and commercialize the diagnostic assay.

"The new biomarkers have the potential to significantly improve current Lyme disease diagnostics, as they offer a completely novel approach to the identification of patients actively suffering from the disease," added Dr. Stefan Müllner, CEO of Protagen. "We are pleased to have leveraged our technology and development capabilities in a new therapeutic area, with a strong and experienced partner in this field. We look forward to utilizing this approach for other infectious diseases too."

About Mikrogen

Mikrogen GmbH develops, produces and distributes genetically engineered in vitro diagnostics. The company focuses on the serology of bacterial, viral and parasitic infections as well as autoimmune diseases. They excel in developing test systems based on recombinant antigens and have produced antigens for clinical diagnostics since 1989.

Mikrogen’s 120 highly-skilled and experienced employees are key to their success and work constantly to improve upon the performance of clinical diagnostics and implement the latest scientific results. Mikrogen owns various patents including Borrelia burgdorferi, Parvovirus B19, EBV and HCV antigens.

About Protagen – Diagnostics Differentiated

Protagen AG, headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, specializes in the development of novel diagnostic and companion diagnostic tests to provide better and earlier diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.

Protagen uses its proprietary SeroTag^® biomarker platform to identify disease specific autoantibodies and is on target to become the leading provider of autoimmune diagnostic products, specifically targeting diseases with an unmet need for effective diagnostics. With pioneering bioscience techniques, extensive scientific expertise and a broad patent portfolio, Protagen works to develop its own diagnostic pipeline, and partners with other organizations to develop and implement new companion diagnostic tools for better personalized treatment strategies.

more about protagen ag