Cross-Borders Project to Accelerate Companion Diagnostics

A network of nine partners and two sub-partners from seven countries, including Science Foundation Ireland’s CÚRAM Centre for Research in Medical Devices, have embarked on the newly launched ‘Codex4SMEs’ project (Companion Diagnostics expedited for small and medium-sized enterprises), which aims to build a transnational network to accelerate the development of companion diagnostics for SME’s. Led by German partner BioRegio STERN Management GmbH, the three year project has a total budget of over €3 million as part of the Interreg North-West Europe programme..

Project leader, Dr Margot Jehle of BioRegio STERN Management GmbH, said: “The combination of regional economic development organisations and biobanks creates the ideal conditions to provide companies with direct access to specific expertise such as the verification of biomarkers, in other words parameters of biological processes as indicators of diseases.”

Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of at NUI Galway, said: “The development of transformative, affordable solutions for patients with chronic illness is a key goal at CÚRAM and we’re delighted to be partnering with such a strong network on this project. We work closely with academics, industry and clinicians and this project will only further enhance our networks across Europe, which are critical for driving medical device research and development.”

CÚRAM, along with WestBIC (EU Business and Innovation Centre for Irelands Border, Midlands and Western Region) are the two Irish partners involved in the project. Other partners include the University of Leicester, with Medilink Midlands as a regional sub-partner from the UK; from France, the Medicen Paris Region cluster; from the Netherlands, BOM Holding BV and the Innovation Quarter; with a regional sub-partner from Luxembourg, the Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg, IBBL; and from Austria, the Biobank Graz at the Medical University of Graz.