Genetic testing company Prenetics leveraged a UK-based subsidiary to buy Oxsed having piloted the latter's rapid coronavirus screening system.

Oxsed, a UK-based rapid coronavirus testing spinout of University of Oxford, was acquired for an undisclosed sum on Friday by China-headquartered genetic testing services provider Prenetics’ DNA Fit Life Sciences subsidiary. Founded in May 2020 as an impact-led enterprise, Oxsed is the creator of an RNA-driven coronavirus swab capable of results comparable to conventional lab tests within about 30 to 45 minutes. Prenetics began piloting the technology last week to screen passengers arriving in its home territory of Hong Kong from Singapore. The test is already used to screen passengers travelling to Hong Kong from London Heathrow airport, where Prenetics also has a rapid testing hub in partnership with airport services providers Collinson and Swissport. Under the acquisition agreement, Oxsed will also continue to focus some of its research on low and middle-income countries. The covid-19 assay resulted from work co-led by Zhanfeng Cui and Wei Huang at University of Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science in addition to Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research, a partnership of University of Oxford and Suzhou Industrial Park in China’s Jiangsu Province.

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