Lisses and Paris, September 16, 2021 – Sebia, a world leader in diagnostics in the fields of multiple myeloma and chronic diseases, and Metafora biosystems (“Metafora”) today announced a strategic partnership to develop a portfolio of in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) solutions based on Metafora’s technology platform. Metafora leverages a single-cell AI-powered diagnostic platform for the detection of cellular metabolism anomalies. In conjunction with the agreement, Sphinx, Sebia’s parent company, has acquired a minority share in Metafora.
Jean-Marc Chermette, Chairman and CEO of Sebia, said: “We are excited to partner with Metafora biosystems, and to apply their innovative technology to make significant strides in the field of cancer and metabolic disease diagnostics. Our initial focus will be on applications in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma, where Sebia is the world leader, and we then expect to work together in other therapeutic areas.”
Vincent Petit, co-founder and CEO of Metafora, said: “Sebia’s commitment, both strategically and financially, is a key milestone in Metafora’s development and highlights and validates the potential of our platform. Sebia’s investment enables us to accelerate our R&D programs and prepare for commercial launches between now and 2023. We look forward to collaborating with Sebia’s team and learning from their wealth of expertise in diagnostics to accelerate our development.”
The partnership between Sebia and Metafora focuses on the development of new analytical methods, in particular in hematology. Hemato-oncology still suffers from a lack of robust diagnostic tests on which to base informed therapeutic decisions and the two partners aim to tackle these unmet needs.
Pierre Sonigo, Chief Scientific Officer of the Sebia Group, said “Metafora’s technology achieves the equivalent of a PET-Scan, the reference technology for cancer imaging, on “liquid biopsies”, i.e., from a simple blood sample. The resolution of this analysis, which is based on flow cytometry, is the highest achievable since the sample is analyzed at a single cell level. This partnership expands the range of Sebia’s electrophoresis and mass spectrometry technologies, optimizing the diagnosis and monitoring of cancers and chronic diseases“.
Sebia to acquire a minority stake in Metafora biosystems.