Sherlock Biosciences Acquires Sense Biodetection Advancing CRISPR-Based Diagnostics for Consumers

Companies enhance leadership in molecular diagnostics by pairing Sherlock's advanced CRISPR, synthetic biology and AI technologies with Sense's instrument-free diagnostic hardware and rapid molecular amplification chemistries for faster path to commercialization

WATERTOWN, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sherlock Biosciences, a company engineering biology to bring next-generation diagnostics to the point of need, today announced the acquisition of Sense Biodetection (Sense), a global molecular diagnostics innovator. The acquisition accelerates Sherlock's go-to-market strategy by adding Sense's Veros™ instrument-free rapid molecular test platform and manufacturing capabilities, enabling the vision of highly accurate and affordable diagnostics that can be used anytime, anywhere. Terms of the acquisition are not being disclosed.

"This acquisition accelerates Sherlock's ability to put the most advanced CRISPR-based diagnostics conveniently in the hands of global consumers," said Bryan Dechairo, President and CEO of Sherlock Biosciences. "The Sense team has done a great job developing and validating their instrument-free diagnostic technology. Together, we can significantly push forward our go-to-market strategy by leveraging Sense's innovative chemistry and device engineering, combined with our industry-leading molecular technologies to realize our collective vision of democratizing and decentralizing diagnostics."

Sense received its CE Mark in March 2022 for its Veros COVID-19 rapid, instrument-free molecular test, demonstrating strong clinical performance with high sensitivity and specificity. Coupled with Sherlock's proprietary engineering biology tools, including the first FDA-authorized use of CRISPR technology, this transaction enables Sherlock to bring highly accurate, advanced, handheld tests to global consumers for a wide range of diseases from respiratory and sexual health to global health outbreak response. Sherlock will integrate Sense's chemistry, manufacturing and technology into its platform, leveraging the company's proven development and regulatory experience to expand the capabilities of the Sherlock platform and drive further innovation.

"This is a powerful combination of proprietary and leading technologies and will allow Sense to realize our vision of delivering the future of diagnostic testing to transform healthcare," said Timothy Still, CEO of Sense. "Joining Sherlock with their novel CRISPR technology was an excellent opportunity and we look forward to advancing our platform to meet the need for testing wherever and whenever it is needed."

Sense is headquartered in Oxford, UK with facilities in Cambridge UK and Milford, MA. Sense launched its first product, Veros COVID-19, in select European and South American markets, and is actively developing a portfolio of tests for other infectious diseases, complementing Sherlock's mission to develop diagnostic products that improve human health. 

"The potential for this acquisition to impact global health is significant," added Paul Meister, Partner at Sherlock investor Novalis LifeSciences, and previously Chairman of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "There's been a lot of speculation that 2023 will see increased M&A activity in the life sciences industry; it's impressive that Sherlock is leading this trend in the private market."

About Sherlock Biosciences
Sherlock Biosciences is developing products that will empower people to access answers and have more control over their health decisions. Through our engineering biology tools, CRISPR-based SHERLOCK™ and synthetic biology-based INSPECTR™, we are bringing together the accuracy of PCR with the convenience and simplicity of antigen tests for molecular diagnostics at the point-of-need. SHERLOCK and INSPECTR can be used in virtually any setting without complex instrumentation, making it well suited for use in the home and in low-resource settings, opening up a wide range of potential applications in areas including infectious disease, early detection of cancer, treatment monitoring, and precision medicine. In 2020 the company made history with the first FDA-authorized use of CRISPR technology. For more information, please visit www.sherlock.bio.

About Sense Biodetection
Sense Biodetection is a global molecular diagnostics company focused on empowering patients and transforming healthcare access and affordability by bringing lab-quality results through easy-to-use, rapid, disposable molecular tests without the constraints of an instrument. The company's Veros product platform will enable widespread testing to enhance patient access, improve patient health and lower systemic healthcare costs. Backed by respected investors, such as Koch Disruptive Technologies, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Earlybird Health and Mercia Asset Management, Sense has launched its first product, Veros COVID-19, in select European & South American markets, and is growing rapidly while building a portfolio of tests for other diseases.

CONTACT: Consort Partners for Sherlock Biosciences, sherlockbio@consortpartners.com

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