 A vast amount of medical research has been and is still being carried out at Swedish universities, despite cutbacks in the past and “down-sizing” today. These activities however often serve as the foundation for new companies. Cavidi Tech, located in the Uppsala Science Park, Uppsala, Sweden, is one such company. It is a small research-based company that has specialized in the development of highly sensitive non-radioactive enzymatic assays for the quantification of nucleic-acid-synthesizing enzymes—as well as the discovery and characterization of potential inhibitors. |
 Cavidi Tech Founded: 1986 Publicly listed: No Number of employees: 14 Key business area(s): Development and commercialization of enzymatic methods for use in drug screening and cancer/viral research Telephone: +46 18 55 20 40 Website Contact |
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Discovery or Viral Load – Cavidi Assays All The business strategy of Cavidi is to develop, manufacture, and market front-line assays for various polymerase enzymes that are of interest for pharmaceutical, medical, and veterinary research. However, the company is also fully capable of producing customized assays under contract for specialized purposes such as High Throughput Screening (HTS). Previously, no one had been able Simon Gronowitz, an Associate Professor in Medical Virology and one of the two founding fathers back in the mid-80s, explains why they launched the company: “Previously, no one had been able to come up with an assay sensitive enough to measure the extremely small amounts of enzymes in the blood that our patented systems now do. And, certainly not as easily, nor as conveniently. Our kits are sold in a ready-to-use state, that is to say, containing standardized components, controls, and easy-to-follow instructions. Extremely high sensitivity The kits utilize solid-phase 96-well microtiter plate technology and colorimetric/fluorimetric product detection. The extremely high sensitivity developed by Cavidi Tech allows detection of enzyme activity corresponding to 200–300 virus particles. These kits, furthermore, are unique in the broadness of their application range. For drug screening Customers for these kits include researchers involved in viral security associated with xenotransplantion, gene therapy, and vaccine production. They are also used for the characterization and isolation of drugs, for drug screening, and for mode-of-action studies. Apart from these kits, Cavidi Tech also supplies assay material in bulk. Big pharmaceutical companies, for example, use extensive High Throughput Screening and mode-of-action studies to find and identify potential enzyme inhibitory compounds (such as anti-Reverse-Transcriptase-drugs for the treatment of HIV infection). Inhibitors that compete with any of the four bases can be tested using the DNA template system developed by Cavidi Tech. The development of assays for other nucleic acid synthesizing or modifying enzymes (e.g. polymerase and telomerase) can also be carried out on a contract basis. In addition, the company is capable of acting as a consultant or hands-on partner in the design of microtiter plate-based assay platforms and optimal reaction conditions for drug target enzymes of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Ready-made systems The company’s ready-made systems already on the market include a number of different RT Activity Kits for the analysis of various types of retrovirus RT activity in cell extracts and culture supernatants. Its Lenti RT Kit is used extensively for the quantification of lentiviral (HIV-1, -2, SIV, and FIV) replication in cell culture. It is also used for screening for potential RT inhibitory drugs. The HS-Mn kit (for manganese-dependent RT-activity determination) is used by several groups concerned with the transmission of PERV (porcine endogenous retrovirus) in the future transplantation of organs from pigs to humans (xenotransplantation). A special hybrid kit containing reaction conditions supporting all know retrovirus RTs is also available for screening for potential retroviral contamination in the production of human skin cells for burn victims and in vaccine production. Cavidi Tech’s new Kit Cavidi Tech’s new product, an RT Viral Load Kit will be released in mid-autumn 2001. This kit is designed to act as a complement or alternative approach to the measurement of viral load in HIV infected individuals. The kit measures HIV RT activity in plasma. The advantages of this method as opposed to the measurement of RNA copy number by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) are: • Results are not affected by HIV subtype • It is substantially cheaper than PCR • It can be used to follow up sensitivity/ resistance testing for antiviral drugs. Traditionally, PCR has been used for determining the viral load in HIV-infected patients by measuring the virus RNA copy number in plasma. Using PCR for this purpose, however, carries with it inherently limiting characteristic—such as the failure to amplify certain HIV-1 subtypes—not to mention the cost of the equipment and the price per sample, bordering on USD 50. Searching for new marketing avenues With an array of highly sensitive kits in its baggage, as well as its growing expertise to offer competent consultation, Cavidi Tech is searching for new marketing avenues. Cavidi Tech’s CEO, Thomas Pollare, says that the company “seeks to join up with an established partner or player (or players) in this field big enough economically and globally to successfully market both the kit systems and the in-house expertise.” Everett Ellestad |
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