A London-based DNA technology company announced Wednesday that it has opened a 15,000-square-foot facility in Carlsbad, where it will manufacture a test for bloodstream infections.
In so doing, DNA Electronics Inc. relocated its U.S. operations from New Mexico. The company said 38 people are employed at the site, with recruitment ongoing.
“As we prepare to begin manufacturing our lead product, our new facility in Carlsbad enables us to tap into a wide pool of local talent and world-class industry partners to support the next phase in our development, said DNAe President and CEO Victor Esch.
With these new facilities, and our strong and growing team, we are in an excellent position to make a game-changing impact in the infectious disease diagnostics space,” Esch said. “Our first products will specifically address the huge global need for rapid diagnostics for sepsis.”
According to DNAe, there are more than 1 million cases of sepsis in the U.S. each year, and 28-50 percent of people with severe sepsis will die.
A key factor is the speed at which a patient receives the appropriate antibiotics, with the chance of mortality increasing 8 percent every hour that a patient in septic shock does not receive the correct antibiotic for treating the organism that’s at fault, according to the company.
DNAe previously invented semiconductor DNA sequencing technology.
“Carlsbad is home to an active scientific community and we welcome DNAe, and the opportunities and skills it brings to the area,” Mayor Matt Hall said.
—City News Service