MENARINI SILICON BIOSYSTEMS

Company Overview

Menarini Silicon Biosystems, a subsidiary of the Menarini Group, is developing and marketing products for the analysis of rare cells.

The company’s DEPArray system uses a combination of dielectrophoresis and microfluidics to isolate and manipulate individual cells, and the Ampli1 Whole Genome Amplification kit amplifies genomic DNA from these single cells.

In April 2017, Menarini Silicon Biosystems acquired the CellSearch system from Janssen Diagnostics. The CellSearch system is the first in vitro CTC diagnostic to have U.S. FDA approval. China’s FDA has approved this test for monitoring metastatic breast cancer patients.

The CellSearch system uses ferrofluid nanoparticles with antibodies targeting epithelial cell adhesion, and the CTCs are magnetically separated from other cells in the blood.

CellSearch measures the level of CTCs in the bloodstream of patients with metastatic breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. It is run at a reference laboratory to monitor a patient’s status.

The combination of CellSearch with DEPArray enables an overall workflow solution for counting, isolation and characterizing CTCs. The combination also gives a completely pure cell sample for downstream sequencing.

Company's Business Segments

• Cell-based Products and Services : The company provides advanced diagnostic solutions to enhance diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to human health by enabling CELLSEARCH and DEPArray technologies.