R&D

R&D has always been at the core of Grant Technology.

This is a continuation of an upstream R&D project funded by the Hong Kong Government in the form of grants with the latest rounds being from Sinoclone and Grant Technology (HK) Co., Ltd.  which owns the sole intellectual property rights for this project. It is to be transferred to Sinopharm Biotechnology when the right partner(s) come onboard. Over USD 1.5 million have already been invested into this R&D project. Pre-Clinical studies are underway with view to enter Clinical Trials in 2018. Our goal is to have our new anti-influenza agent PB2-39 launched into the market by 2019/20. The objective is to list our company or do so after merging with an industry partner, preferably in China.

High mortality rates of H5N1 and H7N9 according to the WHO in 2015 suggest that current anti-influenza drugs are ineffective against these two strains of influenza virus. Our new drug PB2-39 targets the highly conserved area of the virus, RNA Polymerase, to prevent viral replication, and it works on a completely different mechanism from the neuraminidase inhibitors. Patents are being filed to prevent any copying of our technology.

The current anti-influenza medications that are available in the market, Tamiflu, Relenza and Rapivab, can be characterized as neuraminidase inhibitors. They all target the surface neuraminidase receptor of the virus. As we all know, the surface receptors of the influenza virus are highly variable, so resistant strains can easily emerge which diminish the effectiveness of the drugs. This can be demonstrated by the first generation anti-influenza drug Amantadine which is no longer effective as reported by the CDC.  Since the launch of Relenza and later Tamiflu, Zanamivir (Relenza)-resistant strains of H5N1 and H7N9 have emerged. An Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)-resistant strain of H1N1 has also been reported. Therefore, there is an immediate need to develop a new type of medication which works on a different mechanism.

The antimicrobial susceptibility test by diffusion method was developed in the 1950s. Since then, little has changed with expectation to the development of semi-automated antimicrobial susceptibility test readers which are not at all user friendly. Other “fully automated” methods with a different technology has gained little popularity as manual pretreatment of the sample is required, and limited number of antibiotics can be tested with locked-out reagent cassettes, not to mention a high running cost. As the result, diffusion method by antimicrobial susceptibility discs is still the preferred method in majority of the medical microbiology laboratories worldwide.

We are in development of a new generation fully automated instrument and consumables. The first device to be launched in 2017 is the “ADD” which has been well received in the preview in Medica 2016, Dusseldorf.

reducing reporting times from days to mere hours

Conventional methods used in microbiology cannot improve reporting times beyond “days”, and thus an innovative approach to bacteria culture and detection is needed. mSpectrum (Microbial Spectrum) is a new technology developed by combining two world recognised methods that are being used today on a daily basis: chromogenic culture media in microbiology laboratories and spectrophotometry in biochemistry laboratories.

The objective of this new technology is to reduce conventional microbiology reporting times from the current 2 to 7 days to 4 to 6 hours. The potential applications of this technology are very diverse, from monitoring contamination in food and environments, to medical microbiology with multi-drug resistant bacteria that require rapid reporting.

Grant Technology has been collaborating with global biotech firm BLOK BioScience to develop a suite of products that tackles the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This suite of products is powered by a technology platform built around the core concepts of confidentiality and self-sovereignty.

Travel Bubble

A major hurdle our home market of Hong Kong has yet to overcome is that of unlocking cross-border travel. At present, with very few exceptions, all individuals who enter Hong Kong must undergo quarantine; this not only wreaks havoc on the sectors of the economy most dependent on tourism, but also severely hinders business. One potential solution to this is the establishment of travel bubbles.

About BLOK BioScience

BLOK BioScience is a global biotech company that provides the technology, supply chain expertise, and protocols for businesses and governments to get our economies back on track during the pandemic—all without compromising the integrity and privacy of individuals.

With offices in the UK, Hong Kong, and Brazil, the company is led by a team of world-class experts, driven by a shared vision of healthier, more prosperous societies.