New horizons for pSivida

The announcement that pSivida's porous silicon technology, BioSilicon, has shown it can perform diagnostic tests when applied as a skin patch opens up new revenue horizons for the Perth biotech.

Its UK operating subsidiary, pSiMedica, has successfully used a BioSilicon-based device in contact with skin to identify novel human diagnostic products, according to pSivida.

The demonstration proves a BioSilicon skin patch can collect sweat from the skin and detect disease markers in it, the company claims.

In its initial stages of development, the device undergoes a change in its form depending on what it detects.

Later stages may involve more complex diagnoses based on fuzzy logic built into the BioSilicon patch. The skin patch technology is protected under international patent applications filed in 2001.

pSivida has concentrated the bulk of its efforts on using its porous silicon technology to provide a slow release drug delivery mechanism aimed at disease sites within the body.

That will remain BioSilicon's main focus, according to managing director Gavin Rezos.

For example, pSiMedica is currently in a joint venture with Singapore General Hospital which is evaluating BioSilicon's effectiveness in delivering active agents into cancerous cells.

But its incarnation as a skin patch capable of analysing body fluids adds another string to the company's bow.

The new proprietary technology will enable the development of a new generation of diagnostic products which alleviate the need to utilise invasive techniques such as hypodermic needles to collect blood and fluid samples, the company claims.

By adopting highly sensitive measurement techniques and capitalising on the high purity of BioSilicon, pSiMedica is seeking to develop skin patches that will absorb sweat containing trace amounts of disease markers for diagnostics.

Rezos said the company is in commercialisation talks with a number of potential overseas partners interested in the patch technology.

It will seek to establish royalty arrangements rather than develop the product itself, he said.

Diagnostic products typically are quicker to obtain regulatory approval than drugs and one obvious market niche for the skin patch would be as a simple home test kit, he suggested.

Sweat-based devices could trigger a significant growth in the home diagnostics market which in the US alone has grown from $US750 million in 1992 to a projected $US2.17 billion this year, according to pSivida.