Launch of seaweed-based lateral flow housings

Abingdon Health plc (AIM: ABDX), a leading international developer, manufacturer and regulatory services provider for rapid diagnostic tests and med-tech, announces the launch of a seaweed-based alternative housing for its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) customers for the development and manufacture of lateral flow tests (LFTs).

The Company has agreed an exclusive supply agreement with Wolverhampton based Symbio Technologies Ltd ("SymbioTex") for the supply of compostable bio-based material derived from red-seaweed which can be used to produce lateral flow cassettes via standard injection moulding techniques. This option will provide an alternative to the standard plastic houses that are currently used and create opportunity for Abingdon customers to significantly reduce their plastic waste.

The Company has developed prototype cassettes in both standard format and in mid-stream urine sample format as is used for pregnancy and fertility testing.

Examples of the Company's seaweed-based housings with, on the left side, a positive (left) and negative (right) test for the plant disease Phytopthora spp from the Company's Pocket Diagnostic® range using blue latex as signal. And on the right side, positive (left) and negative (right) pregnancy tests using colloidal gold label in seaweed-based housings in mid-stream urine format as used in pregnancy and fertility testing.

Olivia Simpson, Managing Director of SymbioTex, commented: "SymbioTex is delighted to have agreed the exclusive supply of our seaweed-based home compostable biomaterial to Abingdon Health. It is a truly home compostable, sustainable material that can be used to revolutionise the production of packaging and medical devices currently made from single-use plastic."

Dr Chris Hand, Executive Chairman of Abingdon Health plc, commented: "LFTs are crucial for rapid diagnostic testing with over 2 billion used annually across the globe. However, this generates greater than 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste. By offering a plastic free rigid cassette in a range of formats, Abingdon Health aims to help our CDMO customers reduce plastic waste without compromising on the functionality of the tests. The use of SymbioTex's material, as well as harnessing the power of renewable natural resources, gives us the practical benefit of using traditional plastic injection moulding machinery thereby easing the development pathway".