Vivacta is using its innovative piezofilm technology platform to develop a new generation of near-patient diagnostic tests achieving very high sensitivity and wide dynamic range, equivalent to laboratory testing. Each diagnostic test requires only a finger prick of blood and provides actionable results within 10 minutes, enabling the user to decide on the optimal course of medical action.

The Company's piezofilm platform technology exploits the piezoelectric effect (also known as the pyroelectric effect) by which thermal perturbations induced in a specially manufactured plastic film produce an electric charge across the film's surface. Diagnostic reactions occurring near the piezofilm can be made to heat the film and so induce a charge. The measuring of this electric charge enables monitoring of chemical activity – or rate of binding between antibody and analyte – in an assay. In harnessing this piezofilm platform technology, Vivacta has developed Point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic products able to produce and present extremely sensitive, precise and fully quantitative results equivalent to those produced in laboratories.

Vivacta has successfully developed a diagnostic test for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) one of the most widely prescribed laboratory tests and the industry gold standard for immunoassays by which major diagnostic companies measure the performance of competing platforms. Vivacta's TSH product demonstrates the high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, precision and speed to result enabled by the technology platform.

Vivacta is also developing a multiple analyte cardiac diagnostic test for use in the emergency room and acute care settings, where there is a compelling need for rapid diagnosis of possible heart attack and related time-critical medical conditions. Vivacta's work on cardiac markers is also relevant to the monitoring of patients with existing, chronic, cardiovascular conditions who may require telemonitoring remote from the emergency room.

Vivacta's technology has been used to measure both small and large molecules and the goal ultimately is to measure nucleic acids. Target applications include diagnosis and monitoring of endocrine and hormonal imbalances, infections, sepsis, stroke and cardiovascular disease. The system is therefore applicable to diagnosis of disease, companion diagnostics, therapeutic drug monitoring, vaccination status and therapeutic effectiveness monitoring such as the detection of anti-drug antibodies, as well as other personalised medicine applications.

Vivacta collaborates with healthcare companies to develop point-of-care diagnostics for these numerous applications.

Vivacta has generated an independent intellectual property portfolio of over 10 patent families covering the use of piezofilm platform technology in diagnostic assays, allowing the Company freedom to operate without third-party licensing.

Vivacta, founded in 2005, is led by a highly experienced Management team with a proven track record in the healthcare industry and is guided by an accomplished Board of Directors.

It is supported by blue chip investors including HBM BioVentures, IDInvest (formerly AGF), Spark Ventures and Viking.