GMSbiotech
Genetics Made Simple for Personalized Medicine

With its ability to detect foreign substances and trigger the immune system, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes are used as a screening agent for drug molecules, viruses, and screening of tumor cells and autoimmunity. Consequently, HLA genetic testing is now recognized as the gold standard in the field of personalized medicine. However, the existing HLA testing methods are expensive with complex steps that are not readily adaptable to large scale public screening.

An innovative diagnostics company, GMSbiotech, is on a mission to mitigate this challenge through its high-resolution, low-cost platform for HLA testing. The company utilizes unique microarray technology, which is simple and less expensive compared to other technologies available in the market. GMSbiotech focuses on HLA typing for organ transplantation, Pre- and Post-transplantation antibody screening, as well as transfusion medicine.

“We provide a flexible platform to deliver improved genetic and protein-based diagnostic tests for low cost, easy administration, and standardized scaling,” says Krishna Jayaraman, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of GMSbiotech.

GMSbiotech offers easy-to-use and cost-effective products under its brand name GMSbio-Chip. These include EZMatch^TM, EZScreen^TM, and Ricimer^TM GMSbiotech Analysis software. The beachhead product EZMatch^TM has proven market applications for tissue transplantation and stem cell therapeutics along with personalized treatment for autoimmune diseases and microbial infection. Further, the company provides highly sensitive and native state antibody screening and monitoring tests (EZScreen^TM) for pre- and post-transplantation. This cost-effective test helps in the accurate detection of clinically harmful Donor-Specific Antibodies, reducing allograft loss, and improving patient outcomes. Bolstering these products is GMSbiotech's software Ricimer^TM that runs in both stand-alone and network environments.

Ricimer^TM enables users to review the analysis results in a graphical form allowing easy adjustment of cut-off values to clarify results.

At the core of these innovative products of GMSbiotech is its low cost and high throughput method of microarray fabrication. Unmodified oligonucleotides used as probes are attached to the surface based on the electrostatic absorption between the positively charged surface and the negatively charged oligonucleotides. The corresponding DNA already on the surface is bound, and the sample is then fluorescently tagged to see what is bound and what is specific and non-specific pinpointing the exact area where is a match and mismatch. Further, DNA hybridization is carried out, and it requires no special equipment, unlike the existing methods. The fluorescent spots are then analyzed on a scanner, and the results are obtained within a couple of hours. Apart from being simple, the entire procedure can be done at room temperature. Similarly, protein diagnostics can be done on the same platform as DNA diagnostics, since the proteins remain stable in their native state while being attached to the surface.

Through its disruptive raw sample genotyping technology, GMSbiotech also mitigates the challenge of DNA purification that limits the workflow in terms of time and cost in genotyping by reducing the steps in the analysis. The company’s innovative sample preparation technology allows the use of raw samples, including blood, saliva, and cheek swabs, offering similar results as purified DNA and enables large-scale public health sample collection schemes. “We pride ourselves on taking the hassle and added expense out of molecular diagnostics testing, and that is the basis for our logo—Genetics Made Simple (GMS),” remarks Jayaraman.

Currently, GMSbiotech is partnering with Pure Transplant Solutions (PTS) LLC that invented recombinant HLA proteins for the development of the EZScreen^TM product line. The recombinant sHLA proteins are attached to the GMSBiotech’s protein array platform and are maintained in their native state to analyze the presence of sHLA specific antibodies. PTS is leading the efforts in commercializing this technology.

With a strong IP portfolio, the company plans to find licensing partners for use in various applications and launch the products in the next two years. “Through our products, we aim to improve public health screening to provide early detection, prevention, and prediction of medical conditions afflicting millions of people and costing millions of dollars for the healthcare system,” concludes Jayaraman.