Curetis and Scholz Collaborate to Industrialize and Scale-Up Production of UnyveroTM Cartridge Plastics Parts

- German family firm ‘Scholz-HTIK – High Tech in Kunststoff’ has been selected by Curetis based on systematic benchmarking process -

Holzgerlingen (Germany), December 4, 2012 -- Curetis AG today announced a strategic supply chain partnership with German family business Horst Scholz GmbH + Co. KG for the production of high-quality plastics parts for its Unyvero™ Cartridge.

Under the agreement, Curetis will invest more than € 2 million in multi-cavity tools for all Unyvero™ Cartridge plastics parts. Curetis has already ordered several multi-cavity tools from Scholz. The first tools will be delivered in early 2013.

Scholz has been chosen by Curetis due to its unrivalled experience and expertise in medical device-grade injection molding, its state-of-the-art facilities and equipment as well as its cleanroom manufacturing infrastructure.

Scholz has a long track record and outstanding commitment to total quality management, e.g. regarding the use of CT scanners for quality control of parts. Curetis expects a smooth transition from its previous R&D phase supplier to the serial production and scale-up run by its new partner Scholz.

“With the selection of Scholz, we have significantly de-risked our scale-up efforts,” said Oliver Schacht, CEO of Curetis. “We expect to considerably lower the cost of goods for our Unyvero cartridges in the coming years due to substantially reduced purchase prices for plastics parts while retaining the highest possible quality standards. Moreover, both parties have aligned their commercial interests over the long term. With its German supply chain partners Zollner for instruments and now Scholz for cartridge parts, Curetis has reached the next phase of commercialization and industrial growth. Cartridge manufacturing will continue unchanged at our Bodelshausen facility.”

“We are extremely pleased that Curetis has chosen us as its partner for the industrialization and scale-up in manufacturing top quality injection-molded plastics parts for their Unyvero cartridges,” stated Gertrud Ebert, CEO of Scholz. “We have already begun the transfer process and will support Curetis with every step along the way, in the transition phase as well as in the anticipated growth over the years to come.”

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About the Unyvero™ System
The CE-marked Unyvero™ System is a versatile hardware platform for the detection of a broad panel of bacteria and antibiotic resistances from a single sample in one run. It processes a disposable cartridge providing the necessary reagents to complete the analysis from sample to result.
The platform enables the DNA-based testing of all clinically relevant samples in a fully automated, unsupervised analysis process requiring only few, quick manual preparation steps. The analysis thus can be performed with minimal operator time and without the need of skilled staff or special infrastructure.
Thereby, clinically relevant information is available within about four hours to support an informed therapy decision as early as possible.
The first CE-marked Unyvero™ Cartridge, Unyvero™ P50, focuses on pneumonia testing and simultaneously analyses 39 DNA targets. The second Unyvero™ application for implant & tissue infections is already in product development. Cartridges for additional indications, such as blood stream infections and tuberculosis, are in preparation.

About Horst Scholz GmbH & Co. KG
Founded in 1974, Scholz provides its customers with complete solutions in the areas of precision plastic parts, development of plastic gear drives and microtechnology, including Micro Metal Injection Moulding (MMIM). Services range from design through development and manufacturing of the tools in Scholz´s own toolmaking department and the subsequent injection molding up to module production. A certified Management System according to ISO/TS 16949:2002; DIN EN ISO 9001:2000; DIN EN ISO 14001; and DIN EN ISO 13485 guarantees a self-optimizing control circuit for high-end products in the micro-, gearing and medicine technology markets as well as the automobile industry.

Media Inquiries
akampion
Dr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partners
info(at)akampion.com
Tel. +49 40 88 16 59 64
Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68

About Curetis AG
Founded in 2007, Curetis AG is a molecular diagnostics company which focuses on the development and commercialization of reliable, fast and cost-effective products for diagnosing severe infectious diseases. The diagnostic solutions of Curetis AG will enable rapid multiparameter pathogen and antibiotic resistance detection in only a few hours, a process that today can take up to days or even weeks with other techniques.
To date, Curetis has raised total funds of over € 36.6 million (~ USD 50 million). The company is based in Holzgerlingen near Stuttgart, Germany. Curetis has signed collaboration agreements with Heraeus Medical, Sanofi Pasteur and Cempra Inc. as well as several international distribution agreements.

Curetis AG
Oliver Schacht, CEO
Max-Eyth-Str. 42
71088 Holzgerlingen, Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 7031 49195-10
pr(at)curetis.com
www.curetis.com

This release was published on openPR.