OpGen’s (NASDAQ:OPGN) unit Ares Genetics received a patent in China which covers a computer implemented method for the identification and diagnostic use of genomic variants for diagnosis of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
The patent number ZL 201680044780.7 granted by China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) is titled ‘Genetic resistance prediction against antimicrobial drugs in microorganism using structural changes in the genome.’
The company said the patent describes the invention of a computer implemented method for the identification of genetic variations associated with antibiotic resistance (AMR) in bacteria.
The patent cover the use of bioinformatics to determine in a first step genomic differences between bacteria susceptible to antibiotic therapy and strains which are antibiotic resistant. In addition, to identify in a second step those variants linked with AMR using statistical correlation methods.
The patent also protects the use of the invention to diagnose an infection of a patient with pathogens potentially resistant to antibiotic therapy, according to the company.