BBI Solutions: against COVID-19 Company
Entity: BBI Solutions
Category: Test Kits
Description: BBI Solutions is a provider of diagnostic products to multiple industries. The BBI Group has been a trusted partner to some of the world’s leading diagnostic and healthcare organisations for over 25 years. Founded upon the success of the superior quality and performance of our gold reagents, our organisation has grown to incorporate 3 businesses delivering excellence in diagnostic assay development and manufacturing across a range of sectors, and the supply of consumer healthcare products.
Project: UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC)
Summary: The 'UK Rapid Test Consortium, UK-RTC' comprises Oxford University, BBI Solutions, Abingdon Health, CIGA Healthcare, Omega Diagnostics and has been launched to design and develop a new antibody test to determine whether people have developed immunity after contracting the virus. It is hoped a successful test will determine whether people have developed immunity after contracting the virus; along with other companies and the University of Oxford, a six-month memorandum of understanding has been agreed to develop and manufacture the test. If successful, manufacturing can take place in each company, including at a site in Northern Ireland. The companies will use their combined lateral flow test design and manufacturing expertise to boost the design for potential accelerated scale-up to manufacturing of the test.
As part of the government’s National Testing Plan, the expertise and resources of the UK’s life sciences industry are being pooled to build a large British diagnostics industry as quickly as possible. All existing antibody tests that have gone through the validation process have not proven accurate enough, therefore the government is backing efforts to develop a home-grown test. New national collaborations such as the UK-RTC will contribute to the government’s wider target to carry out 100,000 tests a day by the end of April, focusing on frontline healthcare and other essential workers first before deploying the tests to the wider population.
The consortium will draw on BBI Solutions’ rapid test development and expertise, as well as its wider manufacturing capabilities, primarily at its headquarters at Crumlin, South Wales, and its site in Edinburgh. The company will also draw on resource and expertise in other parts of the global BBI Group, in the United States, China and South Africa. BBI Group CEO Dr Mario Gualano said: “BBI Solutions is honoured and privileged to be invited to be part of this consortium, and its critical work. Utilising the resources and expertise across BBI Solutions’ global business, we are moving quickly and effectively to seek solutions that will enable the UK to rollout a significantly scaled-up Coronavirus testing programme.” Omega CEO Colin King said: “We are delighted to be part of this consortium and to support the Scottish and UK Governments’ efforts to combat the Coronavirus pandemic and look forward to using Omega’s manufacturing knowledge and capabilities in supporting and furthering this objective.” Officials are working to produce a reliable test which can be used in the community and help to end lockdown safely.
