Beckman Coulter and MeMed Extend Partnership Advancing Host Immune Response Diagnostics 

BREA, CALIF. and HAIFA, ISRAEL – May 7, 2024  — Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, a global leader in clinical diagnostics, and MeMed, a leader in the emerging field of advanced host-response technologies, today announced expansion of their host immune response diagnostics partnership.  Beckman Coulter is now an authorized distributor of the MeMed BV^® assay, a rapid immunoassay test able to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections, and MeMed Key^®, a compact immunoassay analyzer cleared to run the MeMed BV assay in the United States and Europe. This new distribution agreement complements the existing joint effort to develop a MeMed BV-based test for Beckman Coulter’s family of Access Immunoassay Analyzers. 

Symptoms of bacterial and viral infections are often clinically indistinguishable, which creates challenges for physicians when deciding to start treating patients with antibiotics or not. Unfortunately, this ambiguity can result in the underuse and overuse of antibiotics. Recent research published in Biomedicines showed that up to 29% of the time, clinicians face uncertainty in differentiating bacterial versus viral infections, which can cause delays in clinical decision-making and inefficient diagnostic workflows. This research report indicated that the MeMed BV assay supported or altered physician decision-making in 87% of cases (p < 0.05). MeMed BV returns results in 15 minutes from serum or whole blood and has >99% negative predictive value (NPV)* to rule out bacterial infection. ^1-3

“Beckman Coulter’s commitment to improving infection management is unwavering,” said Kevin O’Reilly, President, Beckman Coulter. “To that end, we are excited to extend our partnership with MeMed by expanding market access to the MeMed Key and BV assay. These MeMed innovations complement Beckman Coulter’s portfolio of host response diagnostics, including our CBC-based hematological biomarker MDW [monocyte distribution width] identifying the presence of severe infection and risk of sepsis, our clinical chemistry PCT [procalcitonin] assay aiding risk assessment for septic shock, and our full suite of microbiology solutions providing faster time to optimize antibiotic therapies.” 

Dr. Eran Eden, MeMed’s CEO and co-founder, added: “We’re excited to expand our partnership with Beckman Coulter, taking an additional step forward in our shared mission to advance pioneering host-response solutions. This expansion focuses on two main objectives: first, to educate and prime the market to accelerate the adoption of MeMed BV once it’s cleared for use on Beckman Coulter’s core-lab immunoassay analyzers; second, to broaden patient access to MeMed BV through a strategic hub and spoke model. By combining the capabilities of Beckman Coulter’s analyzers with the MeMed Key’s ability to deliver results directly from whole blood within minutes, we’re creating a synergistic ecosystem that aids clinicians in distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections with unprecedented ease and precision.” 

MeMed BV is a diagnostic test developed to address management of patients with acute infection in different clinical settings, including Emergency Departments. The MeMed BV test uses a machine learning-derived algorithm to integrate measurements of three key host-immune proteins (TRAIL, IP-10, and CRP) into a score indicating the likelihood of bacterial or viral infections. The performance has been validated on the MeMed Key by world class institutions in multi-national blinded validation studies as well as rapidly growing real-world use in the U.S. and EU, altogether in over 20,000 patients.^1-5 MeMed BV on MeMed Key is US FDA cleared, CE-Marked and approved by the Israeli Ministry of Health. 

About MeMed

At MeMed, our mission is to translate the immune system’s complex signals into simple insights that transform the way diseases are diagnosed and treated, profoundly benefiting patients and society.

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About Beckman Coulter. Inc.

A global leader in advanced diagnostics, Beckman Coulter has challenged convention to elevate the diagnostic laboratory’s role in improving patient health for more than 80 years. Our mission is to Relentlessly Reimagine Healthcare, One Diagnosis at a Time – and we do this by applying the power of science, technology and the passion and creativity of our teams. Our diagnostic solutions are used in complex clinical testing, and are found in hospitals, reference laboratories and physician office settings around the globe. We exist to deliver smarter, faster diagnostic solutions that move the needle forward from what’s now to what’s next. We seek to accelerate care with an extensive clinical menu, scalable lab automation technologies, insightful clinical informatics, and optimize lab performance services. Headquartered in Brea, Calif., with more than 11,000 global team members, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics is proud to be part of Danaher.  Danaher is a global science and technology leader. Together we combine our capabilities to accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology to improve human health.

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CONTACTS

Jeff Tarmy
Director of Global Public Relations
Beckman Coulter Diagnostics
jtarmy@beckman.com

Tal Avziz 
VP Global Marketing 
MeMed
Tal.avziz@me-med.com