Member Info for B2HS2L

Increased Lighthouse Lab Capacity including Saliva capability

I recently posted the following, and it might be that many test centres are being upgraded at a time, and this is the reason tests are unavailable, because they cannot be processed fast enough.
If you were the govnt, would you upgrade lighthouse labs at breakneck speed, in a bid to be ready for the coming storm?
WTFDIK, just my 2 cents.

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03.09.2020 - New Lighthouse Lab to boost NHS Test and Trace capacity

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-lighthouse-lab-to-boost-nhs-test-and-trace-capacity

Alongside increased Lighthouse Lab capacity, brand new large-scale processing units are being rolled out for use across both NHS and Lighthouse Labs.
New testing technology is being supplied by LGC to Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab.
Each LGC machine is able to process up to 150,000 tests per day, at reduced cost and speed.
https://www.lgcgroup.com/what-we-do/

The new equipment which will boost processing capacity for each lab beyond 100,000 tests a day will be trialled in the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab.
The technology will allow labs to process a higher number of test samples simultaneously, reduce costs, and will be able to process saliva-based tests being piloted in Southampton and Salford announced today.

Increased lab capacity across the country will help to further improve test turnaround times while meeting additional demand.

...Or perhaps to Novacyt's American partner, for manufacture / distribution in USA :)

Thought I read "Trump to jump in" at first.
So this should get interesting thought I, - Where's the link?
Very disappointing second reading.

https://www.lgcgroup.com/what-we-do/genomic-analysis-tools/pcr-reagents-and-instruments/

Click "Find out more at Biosearch Technologies" (bottom right of page)

Click COVID-19 Pull down menu and select COVID-19 Research hub

Lots of links at bottom of page for more info on testing.

03.09.2020 - New Lighthouse Lab to boost NHS Test and Trace capacity

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-lighthouse-lab-to-boost-nhs-test-and-trace-capacity

Alongside increased Lighthouse Lab capacity, brand new large-scale processing units are being rolled out for use across both NHS and Lighthouse Labs.
New testing technology is being supplied by LGC to Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab.
Each LGC machine is able to process up to 150,000 tests per day, at reduced cost and speed.
https://www.lgcgroup.com/what-we-do/

The new equipment which will boost processing capacity for each lab beyond 100,000 tests a day will be trialled in the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab.
The technology will allow labs to process a higher number of test samples simultaneously, reduce costs, and will be able to process saliva-based tests being piloted in Southampton and Salford announced today.

Increased lab capacity across the country will help to further improve test turnaround times while meeting additional demand.

Have been reviewing past Lab21 press releases whilst GM was CEO 2011 - 2016.

I hope they are of interest:

https://www.life-sciences-france.com/index.php?script=1001&type=Q&fw_table=10&formaction=finder&str=Lab21&x=7&y=10

I have spent some time recently identifying people Graham Mullis has worked with in the past, and catching up on what they are working on now, (if they aren't retired).
This to identify whether there might be the potential for further colaboration.

I found the following of interest:

Dr Berwyn Clarke - Now Chairman of Iceni Diagnostics, worked with Graham, when Graham was CEO at Lab21.
This is what Dr Clarke and Iceni Diag. are developing now:

https://www.icenidiagnostics.com/company/
https://www.icenidiagnostics.com/news/

I hope they have kept in touch.

During the course of other research, I have come across this reference tonight, and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the anonymous USA partner we keep wondering about.

https://www.life-sciences-france.com/news/lab21-announces-sale-south-ltd-novacyt-group-inc-2001-101049.html

It seems to say that only the laboratory operations have been sold, and the company (Lab321) remains focused on "diagnostic content strategy opportunities within the US market".

Upscaling of which product though Kaeren?

I would imagine Winterplex is doing well, there being so few choices of manufacturer.

2 Two gene qPCR assay? - That might take quite a while to catch on with so much competition preceding it.

3 portable near patient test based on q16 / q32 instrument - niche market, could do well,

4 Exsig direct, - on fire, Exsig Mag - Niche product

5 COVID H-T - My choice for largest profit contribution, if I can confirm that it is in use in the 5 presently operational Lighthouse labs, - (Loughborough to come).

Yes there are many subjects that require an update WelshTT, but he could always release more than one RNS, one subject at a time for clarity.

tkr234 "Just cannot see Nova advertising for positions, engaging them, and then to let them sit on their backsides on nice salaries, can you honestly ?"

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So how is recruitment of Territory Account Managers and Field Application Specialists (recently advertised vacancies) going?

From LinkedIn search:

Territory Account Managers listed in Birkenhead and Birmingham.

Field Application Specialists listed in Glasgow, UK, and Cambridge.

I don't expect it is a requirement for staff to use LinkedIn, but we could see some more sign up soon.

Lighthouse labs are AFAIK using the COVID-HT product introduced by NCYT in an 18.06.2020 RNS, and I am not aware of another manufacturer.

"COVID-HT test
COVID-HT is a new test for COVID-19 optimised for use in laboratories performing high volumes of tests. The CE Mark test has been designed and validated to perform at the same high levels of specificity and sensitivity as the Company's existing COVID-19 test.

COVID-HT uses the Company's proprietary master mix which, unlike the standard COVID-19 kit, requires no premixing, and the test components are packaged to facilitate a more streamlined workflow in a highly automated laboratory setting. As a result, COVID-HT is expected to improve operational efficiency and save time and labour associated with handling and preparing the test for use."

From some videos of lighthouse labs, (Cambridge, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Newport and soon Loughborough), I believe they are operational 18 hrs / day.

To increase output to meet a large increase in Govnt daily testing, these labs would have to work 24 hrs / day.

Ncyt would have to provide 33.3% more COVID-HT tests.

I don't know what difficulties this would present to management, but last I heard Govnt wanted 500,000 tests / day by end of October. ref http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Robot-News/nhs-lighthouse-lab-loughborough-capacity

Bearing in mind that we have
1 launched a 2 gene PCR test for those countries requiring one
2 launched the near-patient (mobile) testing, which comprises Novacyt's COVID-19 test, direct-to-PCR RNA extraction kit (Exsig™ Direct), and q16 and q32 instruments
3 launched a Winterplex test:

From RNS 27th August:

"The Company is using its existing manufacturing capacity to produce the test panel and believes it can meet the expected global demand for the product. The test panel is expected to drive significant incremental revenue for the Company."

NCYT will not be willing to see increased COVID-HT testing requirements constrain the production of any product, and particularly the Winterplex tests.

To use an analogy in the film JAWS, - the fishing boat skipper, - after seeing the size of the 'great white' - stated "we're gonna need a bigger boat"..

Perhaps we are having conversations with Asra Z and gsk ref any spare manufacturing capacity, else standby for more subcontract test kit builder announcements, -if capacity is still out there,- assuming Boris is serious.

Applied Biosystems is one of the various brands under the Life Technologies brand of Thermo Fisher Scientific corporation. ... In 2008, a merger between Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen was finalized, creating Life Technologies.
The latter was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2014.

Primerdesign Ltd COVID-19 genesig® Real-Time PCR assay:
Instructions for Use Issue 1.01 (https://www.fda.gov/media/136309/download)
Sample Type = Oropharyngial Swabs
one of the valid PCR Platforms = Applied Biosystems® 7500 Real-Time PCR System

So to sandmans April 2020 post
item 3. Primerdesign test works on open system so can be used on Thermo hardware.

Can be added :
item 3a. Primerdesign test valid for Applied Biosystems® PCR platform 7500 Real-Time PCR System, Applied Biosystems being owned by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

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2019 AGM presentation: https://novacyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Novacyt-AGM-Presentation-July-2019-FINAL.pdf

Page 9 displays:

Novacyt Operations - Major OEM relationships, Examples: Bio-Rad, Thermo, Biomerieux.

From the admissions document, (https://novacyt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Admission-Document-Novacyt-18-October-2017.pdf)
Page 20:
By using the Group’s existing partnership expertise and experience, additional sales channels are
being targeted in H2 2017; for instance an initial strong pipeline of B2B deals has been developed.
In the opinion of the Directors, there are considerable growth opportunities in working with other
large molecular manufacturers who have publicly stated their intentions to outsource the
development and manufacture of molecular assay content to third parties.
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So it may be that Primerdesign got the job of development and manufacture of molecular assay content to third parties for Thermo Fisher.
TF kept USA, Primerdesign got the RoW?

Yes great post upup&away, - My comment not meant as a criticism, more of a missed opportunity.
But you said so much else, it's churlish of me to say more!
Well done.

upupandawaybby -

Congratulations sir,
Great summary of present position, - well done indeed.

I feel that you have maybe not highlight the further shareholder value that would accrue from the results of a successful 'at home' trial of SNG001.

Should results be as successful as we hope, many thousands of people will not be admitted to hospital, nor require the use of life saving ventilators.

The cost savings of this situation are enormous, and will allow at least some hospital medical staff to carry on working in their normal occupations, and allowing treatment for a whole range of ailments that have had to stop because all resources taken up by Covid-19 treatment.

NHS may no longer be swamped to the previous extent.

Manifesto (19:12) - just a thought -

".. Or a takeover which would probably
include a position for all on our board should they wish to carry on.....
All IMHO of course!"

IMO the value of the company might well be reduced if key personnel stated they did not want to carry on.
Working for Yanks isn't for everyone, and they wouldn't be unemployed for very long.

a_g

So we will be providing the:

1 qPCR test as you suggest, but probably under a modified contract of > 288,000 / week.

2 COVID H-T at a rate sufficient to keep all the lighthouse labs flat out
(I've counted 6 including Newport and Loughborough).

3 2 gene tests in those countries requiring a 2 gene test, (but we are late to the party here)

4 Winterplex rollout, so I would imagine a certain amount of initial stock for PHE, - but no visibility of a contract yet?

That's a fairly rosy picture to be getting on with, and I hope you will agree.

Not expecting GM to be issuing numbers I think, hence the reason for the "already on the way to being a mid cap company" quote, - he has to be seen to be supporting the sp without releasing numbers.
I think the COVID H-T product must be selling really well now, as more and more testing is required.

source (04.09.2020): http://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/Robot-News/nhs-lighthouse-lab-loughborough-capacity

Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Public Health, Baroness Dido Harding, said: “NHS Test and Trace has been operating for more than three months and during that time it has consistently reached the majority of those testing positive and their contacts, almost 330,000 people at risk of unknowingly passing the virus on.

"As the service has become part of our everyday lives, demand for testing has increased. To meet this, we continue our efforts to build and scale testing capacity to reach 500,000 tests per day by the end of October by making use of new tests, new labs and new technology."

At this rate they will be trying for 500,000 by early October, and our investment will be flying.

Hmmmm.. That's a typo I'm afraid, should read cherry picks.
Agree with your view of her capabilities.

From the contacts I have had with her, I think she cheery picks the standard response replies and queries of a minor nature, but hands on anything more in depth to counterparts in Novacyt.
How have others fared?