President officiate at the launch of Beyond Biotec 2018 first ever medical industry event

Beyond Biotec 2018, the first ever medical industry event highlighting successful commercial innovations in the private sector biotechnology space, along with opportunities in the research arena was declared open by President Maithripala Sirisena along with the Minister of Health, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne on 25 January at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.

The Vice-Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, Preetha Reddy was also present representing the Apollo Hospitals Group. This is a first for the nation where policy makers, scientific, medical community and technical service providers came together for synergistic collaboration at the highest level.

Beyond Biotec 2018 also marks the collaboration between the Apollo Hospitals Group, India’s largest integrated healthcare provider and Sri Lanka’s Credence Genomics in a milestone venture whereby a portfolio of cutting edge diagnostic services for infectious diseases will be offered to patients in India starting with Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The new line of tests is being offered in partnership with Credence Genomics, a collaboration which is the first of its kind nationally and is based on a specialised DNA diagnostics platform offering a faster and more precise diagnosis. This is a landmark achievement for Sri Lanka and augers well for the future prospects of Sri Lanka’s medical fraternity as well as medical tourism.

Beyond Biotec 2018 is sponsored by Credence Genomics, Sri Lanka’s pioneering clinical genomics company and its Indian subsidiary Micro Genomics (India), along with Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science. Conceived by Dr. Vaz Gnanam in 2011, Credence Genomics is a Sri Lankan establishment pioneering in the development of leading-edge innovations on specialised DNA diagnostics based on the next generation sequencing (NGS) platform with intensive research infrastructure and capabilities. The company launched its first set of products in 2015. An entrepreneur at heart, Dr. Gnanam, who qualified in India as a medical doctor, thereafter went to the United Kingdom to work in the NHS. Dr. Gnanam has an ingrained passion for computers and parallelly taught himself to code and work on distributed systems. Beyond Biotech 2018 and the collaboration with Apollo Hospitals India is a part realisation of Dr. Gnanam’s vision for the future of healthcare for all people universally.

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s participation is in keeping with its promise to expand on its global initiatives and its research capabilities, along with their capacity to deliver in the healthcare space. Thermo Fisher initiatives allow innovative and novel research to be deployed quickly and cost effectively. Its vast range of products caters to every researcher need. A regional team along with various industry experts would also walk through the present landscape and the future of biotechnology highlighting the potential from an academic, research and commercial perspective.

Apart from the President and Minister for Health, other speakers included Dr. Preetha Reddy, Professor Jennifer Perera, Dr. Deepthi C de Silva, Dr. V.N. Chandrashekharan, Dr. Gayathri N. Silva and Dr. Vaz Gnanam. A video presentation by Thermo Fisher Scientific was also part of the program.

“Credence Genomics has truly highlighted Sri Lanka’s capacity for science, medicine, information technology and innovation. We are a 100% Sri Lankan team and we are happy to be able to highlight our capabilities along with our representation of the country,” said Dr. Gnanam. Beyond Biotec 2018 is a landmark event bringing together the areas of healthcare, biotechnology and research. Our collaboration with the Apollo Group is yet another feather in Sri Lanka’s cap as it is a major step for Sri Lanka and the local medical profession as well as the country’s economy. Our achievements transcend individuals and countries and will benefit the world society.”

Beyond Biotec 2018 caters to new breakthrough innovations in the biotechnology space and the healthcare vertical. The products revealed at the event are unique and the first of its kind along with potential application benefits.

Chennai – The Apollo Hospitals Group, India’s largest integrated healthcare provider, this week announced the launch of a portfolio of cutting edge diagnostics services for infectious diseases. The new line of tests is being offered in partnership with Colombo-based Credence Genomics and is based on a specialized DNA diagnostics platform offering faster and more precise diagnosis.

Through this partnership, Credence Genomics’ flagship products – the Rapid Infection Detection (RID), Bactfast and Fungifast – will now be readily available to benefit patients and assist the medical fraternity in India by offering fast and precise diagnosis for infectious diseases, the Indian company said in a media release.

Dr. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, said “It has been our constant endeavour to ensure the most superior technology-based clinical solutions are made available to our patients. Through the introduction of this service portfolio, patients will benefit immensely through faster and more accurate diagnosis for infectious diseases. Bacterial and fungal infectious diseases take a great toll on populations of the sub-continent. The need for effective and timely diagnosis can significantly lower morbidity and mortality associated with this disease cohort. Through this partnership we are hopeful of offering a meaningful change to the diagnostics landscape in our country.”

The diagnostic products Credence RID, Bactfast and Fungifast are diagnostic tests which can diagnose any infectious disease caused by a bacteria or fungi with over 90 per cent accuracy. The scope, methodology and accuracy of results are further corroborated by a recent BioMed Central (BMC) Infectious Diseases publication. These tests, now proven for their speed and accuracy in the reporting of results, have established the trust of the medical community in the domestic market in both public and private sector hospitals.

Dr. Vaz Gnanam, Founding CEO and Director, Credence Genomics, noted: “We join hands with the Apollo Group in delivering the highest standards in healthcare in total alignment to their global credibility and brand promise. We are very excited to explore pioneering endeavours on which both companies could come together, to benefit society beyond the boundaries of countries and territories in the realm of medical science and its progress”.

Credence Genomics is a Sri Lankan establishment pioneering in the development of leading-edge innovations on specialized DNA diagnostics based on the next generation sequencing platform with intensive research infrastructure and capabilities. As part of the collaborations Credence Genomics will set up a state-of-the-art DNA research/diagnostics facility in Chennai. The facility will be managed by a team of leading scientists from all across India and will be fully operational by mid-December.

The time has now come to stop taking unnecessary antibiotics. The increase in antibiotic intake can reduce your resistance. When you are struck with a real illness, the medicine you take may not even answer due to the overuse of antibiotics.

Credence Genomics Ltd. is now able to diagnose within 24 hours whether one has a bacterial or a fungal infection. This is a simple, cost efficient test which will tell you whether it is necessary for you to take antibiotics.

According to Credence Genomics Director Dr. Vaz Gnanam, Credence does not use conventional technology but a combination of molecular diagnostics and next generation sequencing which is 99.7% accurate. “It covers all known bacteria and fungi and is even sensitive to culture negative as well as mixed infections. Once the bacteria and fungi are identified treatment can be initiated. These tests will depict the species of the bacteria or fungi, its pathogenicity and relative abundance in the sample.”

This technology-developed at Credence has assisted the most chronic and resistant infectious cases at both government and private hospitals. The team utilises next generation sequencing, cutting edge technology used in molecular diagnostics, and identifies bacteria and fungi from any clinical (blood, biological fluid, swabs and tissue), environmental or industrial sample. They can identify the entire spectrum of known bacteria and/or fungi in one test. More importantly the test is easily affordable and in combination with its extreme accuracy is a useful tool to any clinician.

“One of the challenges faced by conventional technologies is the time taken to do a test along with its limited accuracy. At Credence, we can make the second stage of the results available to you within 48 – 72 hours, making it the fastest most precise test available globally,” said Dr. Gnanam.

In acknowledgment of the advanced approach to infectious diseases, Credence has received the support of many of the top clinicians who have applied the test to acute and chronic infections. “The advantage of a disruptive technology such as this is that it not only saves lives, but also increases the quality of life for all your loved ones,” said Gnanam.