Gribbles enters biotech with genomics coup

Pathology giant Gribbles (ASX:GGL) has announced a new subsidiary dedicated to biotechnology, with its first project being the development of a pre-natal screening test to detect genetic and chromosomal abnormalities.

Building on its existing genetic testing program in the field of forensics, the subsidiary company, Gribble Molecular Science, plans to develop technologies for applications spanning medical, veterinary and agricultural.

The pre-natal screening work is to be led by Dr Ian Findlay, senior research fellow at the University of Queensland's Institute of Molecular Biosciences, who has joined the company's new arm as chief scientific officer.

Gribbles' corporate manager Glenister Lamont said the company intended to plough millions of dollars into commercialising Dr Findlay's research.

"What Dr Findlay is going to bring is going to open up new areas of genetic testing for us," Lamont said.

"Very simply, we see considerable potential in his work and it is at that stage where it is beyond research and theory. It is really developing into a viable commercial process that we consider to be very worthwhile."

Lamont said Gribbles considered the potential market for the diagnostic to be "quite large", and said that while the company would first pitch the product within Australia, its businesses in New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore would be natural conduits to the international market down the track.

"The way [the test] works, it would be very useful to any pregnant woman who needs testing," he said.

"The most common testing done now is amniocentesis for Down's syndrome, which is still an invasive and high-risk procedure and is only done for women aged over 35 years. We'd be able to provide a test for this and other conditions at an earlier stage and without the risk."

Dr Findlay's research involves the analysis of foetal cells isolated from Pap smears taken from pregnant women.

He is developing techniques to screen these cells for genetic and chromosomal abnormalities that lead to diseases including Down's syndrome, cystic fibrosis and thalassaemia.

The scientist was the first in the world to perform DNA fingerprinting on a single cell with his work, published in the journal Nature, now widely applied in the forensic field.

Lamont said Gribbles Molecular Science would comprise two divisions: research and development, which would operate out of Brisbane, and the service division based at Gribbles' Clayton laboratory in Melbourne.

He said that while the subsidiary would undertake future research in a range of fields, the current focus would be on getting the diagnostic test to market.

Dr Findlay, who will bring his IMB team with him to Gribbles, will join Dr Keith Byron, who helped establish the company's molecular biology laboratory in 2002.

At the time of writing Gribbles was trading almost 2 per cent higher at 52 cents on volumes nudging 450,700 shares.