Spreading like wildfire
Aalto Bio Reagents’ materials for diagnostic kits are in demand around the world thanks to its timely focus on infectious diseases
T he recent widespread outbreak of Zika virus disease has helped propel Dublin-based Aalto Bio Reagents onto the world stage, thanks to its launch just over a year ago of the world’s first materials to enable the development of diagnostic kits for the mosquito-borne flavivirus.
Aalto supplies the biological raw materials, or antibodies, to in-vitro diagnostic companies for use in testing kits and to research laboratories.
Set up in Dublin in 1978, the company was taken over three years ago by Philip Noone, who has a strong background in the medical diagnostics industry and a particular interest in infectious diseases.
“We hit the start button again in 2014 and we’ve looked to really grow the business and to globalise it,” he says.
The main strategy for growth has been to focus on particular areas, starting with tropical diseases and specifically those transmitted by mosquitoes.
So far, the company has developed proteins and antibodies for chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever, as well as for Zika, which has proven especially timely.
“As a result of that, we suddenly got into the limelight and everybody in the world wanted our materials: all the major in-vitro diagnostic companies trying to develop a diagnostic test on one side, and all the pharmaceutical companies trying to develop a vaccine on the other. That race is still on at the moment,” Noone explains.
Aalto’s yellow fever antibodies were launched at the end of January. “Again, it’s very topical because there’s a yellow fever outbreak in Brazil at the moment and they’re wondering how to cope with it. The way to deal with it is better diagnostics, hopefully using our materials.”
The business grew by 21% in 2015 and, in the second half of 2016, the Zika virus product recorded more growth in six months than any of the company’s previous products had over a full year.
The big challenge now is to put the right structure in place to deal with the increased market demand. The company currently employs 10 people.
“We’re now rapidly trying to expand our team and production to cope with the growth we’re experiencing,” notes Noone.
In addition to scaling up, he is looking at the next areas to focus on. “A lot of people try to look at the disease and see where it’s going to happen next. I look at the vector – in this case the mosquito – and the other pathogens it carries so we can develop a full scale of emerging diseases for that vector.
“We have another four or five disease pathogens that we want to develop targets for over the next two to three years. And we want to hire as many good Irish employees as we can to help us grow with this programme of product development.”
“We’re now rapidly trying to expand our team and production to cope with the growth we’re experiencing”