The company Proteomika, part of the Progenika Group, and the Microbiology Department of Donostia Hospital have designed a protein chip to identify the microorganism Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is responsible for various types of infections, some very serious, including pneumonia and meningitis. The objective of this chip is twofold, as it identifies strains normally associated with resistance to antibiotics, as well as others which, although common, are not included in currently-available vaccinations.

The results provided by the chip are more objective, faster and cheaper than those of conventional techniques, and its use will help in the design of new treatments that should be more effective, helping to improve the efficiency of vaccines currently in use and in development.

The chip, which has been tested and given the European Union’s quality stamp, is called PNEUMOarray® and is marketed by Abyntek, another company in the Progenika Group. PNEUMOarray® increases the objectivity of the techniques that are currently used, as it does away with the need to identify the microorganisms visually. In addition, the time needed to carry out the study is shorter than in traditional techniques, which allows the testing centres to carry out much more intensive epidemiological surveys.

Proteomika is a biotechnology company that was founded in 2002 to develop and market products for personalised medicine, using proteomic tools. The objective of Proteomika is to design non-invasive diagnosis systems, prognosis and/or prediction or monitoring of responses to drug therapy in human diseases, as well as the implementation of other related products or derivates of its research lines and associated know-how for clinical or pharmacological use.

Abyntek is involved in research, development and marketing of antibodies, as well the distribution of arrays or protein chips developed for other companies in the Progenika Group.