Oslo, Norway – 20 December, 2024 – Ferring Pharmaceuticals and microbiome diagnostics specialists Genetic Analysis will bring together two established technologies – Genetic Analysis’ PCR-based microbiome diagnostics platform (GA-map^®1) and Ferring’s research-validated biomarker algorithm for a healthy human microbiome (the ‘Microbiome Health Index™²’) – to develop a rapid test.

Biomedical research is increasingly establishing the link between diversity and composition of types of microbial life in a human gut and a range of diseases including infections, IBD, cancer, and even mental health. Much of this knowledge has been unlocked by genomics and the use of genetic sequencing to track microbiota in detail. However, sequencing can take days to weeks to complete – limiting the pace at which researchers can investigate these links or leverage them in a clinical setting.

In characterizing and developing the Microbiome Health Index™, Ferring Pharmaceuticals have created a ‘shorthand’ that researchers can use to establish which patients have a healthy microbiome and which are experiencing ‘dysbiosis’ – a state where the gut microbiome is disrupted which predisposes to disease. By putting this into a simple rapid test, clinical researchers would have a tool that can be used to support more projects at less expense and potentially enable faster clinical studies.

The source of funding for this development is from Ferring and GA, in addition to a grant from Innovation Norway. No additional capital will be required by GA for this development. The diagnostic test is planned to be launched as a Research Use Only (RuO) test during H1-2025 and GA will have the exclusive commercialisation rights with no obligations to pay running royalties and milestones to Ferring. The diagnostic product meets Ferring’s and GA’s strategic focus on being in the forefront of Microbiome treatment and diagnostics.

Ronny Hermansen, CEO of Genetic Analysis said: “Genetic Analysis and Ferring Pharmaceuticals are driving vital changes in microbiome diagnostics. Our collaboration merges Genetic Analysis' PCR expertise and the GA-map^® platform with Ferring's Microbiome Health Index™, revolutionizing rapid testing of the human microbiomes. The need for accurate clinical routine diagnostics in the microbiome field is becoming more pressing with the first microbiome altering drugs now entering the market. With the emerging knowledge of how the gut bacteria profoundly impact well-being, our technology condenses weeks into hours, accelerating research and clinical responses.”

Ken Blount, VP of Microbiome Research, of Ferring Pharmaceuticals said: “We really are still at the foothills of understanding the impact the microbiome has on our health. We feel strongly that sharing what we have learned on characterizing dysbiosis, in a way that can be used easily in a clinical setting, is the next step on climbing that mountain. We believe this PCR test will have a lot of applications for industry, clinical, and academic researchers alike, giving all of us in this space a tool we can use in the next phase of developing our understanding of how the microbiome can be harnessed to combat disease.”

Applications for the new test include use in predicting which patients with serious conditions might be more prone to complications and to screen and identify patients for microbiome therapy clinical trials³. The introduction of biomarker tests for the microbiome into routine clinical research practice is also an important development to building the volume and specificity of data for regulatory authorities to assess future microbiome-based medical therapies.

For more information, please contact:

Ronny Hermansen
CEO, Genetic Analysis
rh@genetic-analysis.com

Björn Lindström
Corporate Communications, Ferring
BJLI@ferring.com

This disclosure contains information that Genetic Analysis AS is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, at the time indicated by Genetic Analysis AS news distributor upon publication of this press release.

About Genetic Analysis:
Genetic Analysis AS (GA) is a science-based diagnostic company and pioneer in the human microbiome field with more than 15 years of expertise in research and product development. The unique GA-map® platform is based on a pre-determined multiplex targets approach specialized for simultaneous analysis of a large number of bacteria in one reaction. The test results are generated by utilizing the clinically validated cutting edge GA-map® software algorithm. This enables immediate results without the need for further bioinformatics work. GA’s vision is to become the leading company for standardized gut microbiota testing worldwide, and GA is committed to help unlocking and restoring the human microbiome through its state-of-the-art technology. GA employs a team of highly qualified employees with scientific backgrounds and competence in sales, operations, bioinformatics, molecular biology, and bioengineering.

For more general information: www.genetic-analysis.com
Interested in reading more about GA's products? Please visit ga-map.com

Stay updated on GA and sign up for more investor-related information: https://www.genetic-analysis.com/subscriptions/

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group committed to building families and helping people live better lives. Headquartered in Saint-Prex, Switzerland, Ferring is a leader in reproductive medicine and maternal health and is also pioneering innovation in microbiome and uro-oncology therapies, based on a long heritage in specialty areas within gastroenterology and urology. Founded in 1950, privately owned Ferring employs over 7,000 people worldwide, has its own operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, and markets its products in over 100 countries. Learn more at www.ferring.com

¹ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/apt.13236

² https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.781275/full

³ Microbiome Diagnostics - PubMed (nih.gov)