MedMira's New Miriad™ RVF Toolkit Offers Researchers Speedier Test Results

HALIFAX, March 10, 2014

HALIFAX, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - MedMira, Inc. (MedMira) (TSXV: MIR), a developer of rapid diagnostic technology and solutions, today launches the Miriad RVF Toolkit for speeding the path to accurate test results for the research, academic and test developer markets. The new toolkit not only accelerates the test development process, but also empowers researchers to obtain results quickly and easily in a mobile, real-time setting.

The Miriad RVF Toolkit is a fast and cost-effective alternative to traditional laboratory-based testing methods, which often require expensive equipment from multiple vendors and restrict testing to central laboratories vs. the flexibility of the field. In addition to simplifying and speeding the road to test results, the toolkit enables researchers to transfer their science to a proven test platform, which can propel rapid commercialization.

The debut of the Miriad RVF Toolkit, part of the Miriad research products portfolio, marks a strategic expansion for MedMira into the U.S. research and academic markets and augments the company's strength in the clinical healthcare sector. The technology in Miriad, MedMira Rapid Vertical Flow Technology™, also is used in the company's rapid tests for the clinical healthcare market. These commercialized tests are approved by many global regulatory bodies. The exclusive distributor of the Miriad RVF Toolkit in the United States is VWR International, LLC, a global solutions provider of laboratory supplies and services with worldwide sales in excess of $4.1 billion in 2012.

Veterinary medicine researcher Dr. Joaquín Patarroyo is among early adopters of the technology. A professor at Brazil's Universidade Federal de Viçosa and product development and intellectual property advisor for Patsos Biotecnologia, Dr. Patarroyo sought a way to transition his successful laboratory work into a real-time, mobile testing environment. "Using MedMira's toolkit, my lab was able to develop rapid tests as effective as our laboratory-based assays. We created the tests within a much shorter turnaround time and did not need to procure components from multiple sources," said Dr. Patarroyo.

The toolkit also provides a simple migration route for conventional tests such as ELISA* and Western blots* to evolve into rapid tests.  "MedMira is expanding its foot print in the research and academic markets with the Miriad RVF Toolkit based on the growing demand for simpler and faster screening tools and lab processes," said Kevin Jones, Ph.D., senior director, global sales and marketing, MedMira. "Researchers want greater freedom from the lab bench. They want alternatives to time-consuming lab-based assays. They demand an accurate testing solution usable anywhere, from the lab to the field. These researchers and educators now have access to a powerful product from our company to facilitate the advancement of new rapid tests."

The Miriad RVF Toolkit is for research use only. For more information, visit www.medmira.com or contact a VWR sales representative.