Osmetech’s eSensor XT-8 System wins ‘R&D 100 Award’

Osmetech plc (OMH.L) (LSE:OMH), the international molecular diagnostics company, announces that its eSensor XT-8 System has been selected by an independent judging panel and editors of R&D Magazine as a recipient of a 2009 R&D 100 Award. This award, also called the “Oscars of Invention”, recognizes the 100 most technologically significant products introduced globally in the past year across all market sectors. Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market. Previous award winners include many household names including the automated teller machine, halogen lamp, fax machine, liquid crystal display, printer, and HDTV.

This award for Osmetech and comes only one month after the eSensor XT-8 System was named as a gold winner of the 2009 Medical Design Excellence Awards.

The FDA-cleared eSensor XT-8 System produces results in less than 30 minutes detecting multiple genetic markers from a prepared patient sample. Using proprietary electro-chemical technology, the self-contained cartridge consumable contains 72 gold-plated electrodes, each acting as independent DNA microsensors on a printed circuit board.

The instrument provides an easy-to-use graphical, touch screen interface, a small footprint, requires limited operator training, low maintenance and no instrument calibration. The XT-8 is a complete random access system in which each cartridge slot operates independently supporting the use of a wide variety of tests. The system’s modular and expandable design enables the capacity requirements of high throughput users to be met.

Chris Gleeson, Chairman, Osmetech plc, said:

"We are delighted that our eSensor XT-8 System has received this prestigious global award. This is further recognition for our innovative, practical and cost-effective platform which is rapidly gaining market acceptance with FDA cleared tests now available for Warfarin Sensitivity and Cystic Fibrosis Genotyping.”