Semiotik Llc, portfolio company of Biofund RVC, has made an agreement with Yashraj Biotechnology Ltd, part of the Yashraj group having diversified interests in chemicals, biotechnology, agriculture and top one in 20 Indian company on local pharmaceutical market, on the supply of research microchip on the base of carbohydrates (glycochip) for assay of glycan-binding proteins.

Glycochip Semiotik is a thin slide containing a library of polysaccharides (glycans). It is possible to attach up to 600 glycans to the chip and diagnose about a hundred diseases with its help. In particular, the chip can be used for diagnostics on infectious, autoimmunity and oncological diseases.

The study performed by the specialists of Yashraj Biotechnology Ltd. using glycochip Semiotik containing up to 400 glycans demonstrated that two of seven studied antibodies bound specifically carbohydrate ligands. These data opens the prospect of targeted bioengineering of new antibodies both for diagnostics and therapy of malignant neoplasms.

The concept of this unique microchip was designed and developed in Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences by the team of the Laboratory of Carbohydrates in collaboration with New York University, which helps in clinical trials, certification and licensing of the microchip for the markets of Russia, CIS and USA.

At present, microchips Semiotik are used by several groups from Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Bulgaria and USA.

"At the example of cooperation with Yashraj Biotechnology Ltd. we can see the demand for the glycochip platform developed by Semiotik for solution of complex reaserch tasks of the search of diagnostic biomarkers not only in Russia but also broad," says Egor Beketov, general director of Biofund RVC.

Semiotik is an innovative hi-tech company active in development and production of microchips for blood assay. The scientific leader of the company is the leading Russian expert in this field, Prof., Dr. Sci. Nicolai Bovin, head of the Laboratory of Caarbohydrates, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

In June of 2010 the Board of Directors of LLC RVC approved the concept of Biofund RVC. At the beginning of 2011 the fund started its activities. Investment interests of Biofund RVC are focused on innovative biopharma companies and service companies providing laboratory, analytical and consulting services to pharmaceutical and medical companies.