BEVERLY, Mass., March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) (the “Company”), a biotechnology company that
develops genetic analyzers for pathogen detection and other molecular markers, announced today that their LX technology
successfully detected E. coli O157:H7 in a blinded study focused on romaine lettuce wash.
In the United States, the O157:H7 strain of E. coli causes an average of 73,000 illnesses annually1 with an
annual cost of illness of $405M.2 In 2018, two separate outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 contaminated romaine
lettuce occurred, causing an estimated 272 illnesses and 5 deaths.3 Historically, fresh and fresh-cut produce
cause more foodborne illnesses than any other food commodity since many of the fresh produce products are not routinely treated
with chemicals to kill microbes.4
Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGene’s CEO and Founder, adds, “Our genetics-based technology is extremely sensitive and will return results
in ~ 1 hour. The LX product line will minimize the time perishable food items spend in storage facilities and will help food
companies avoid costly recalls and brand damage like we saw from the romaine lettuce recalls during 2018.”
Mr. Shawn Stevens, founding member of Food Industry Counsel LLC, the only law firm in the U.S. that exclusively represents food
industry clients, states, “Food producers are increasingly paralyzed with fear over E. coli and other common food-borne
pathogens. The average Class I recall costs ~ $30M, and some recalls are even more expensive.5 To add insult
to injury, food producers, restaurants, and retailers are getting hit with lawsuits over these outbreaks. The food industry
is continuing to look for ways to better protect itself. The industry has long relied on culture-based testing and the
overwhelming sentiment is that genomic-based testing could greatly improve the ability and speed to detect potentially contaminated
food items. This is why many forward-thinking food companies have expressed interest in working with LexaGene to evaluate
their technology.”
Daryl Rebeck, LexaGene’s President, comments, “We just announced a very successful veterinary clinical study where the LX
technology was found to be 97.5% concordant with reference laboratory generated results. Here, we are demonstrating the value
of our LX technology not only for the veterinary markets but also expanding our scope to address the dire technological needs in
the food safety industry, which is estimated to be a $24.6B market opportunity by 2023.6 This is a great example
of the versatility of LexaGene’s technology.”
Dr. Regan concludes, “In the food industry, there is a strong demand for technology that can screen samples for multiple
pathogens at once – and return results in as little time as possible. Many of the current testing methods generally take up 2
days for results. Our technology has the potential to provide food safety officers with sufficient information in just one
hour allowing them to ship their perishable food items faster. As we move forward, we will continue expanding our screening
capabilities in order to offer the food industry the most robust and comprehensive sample-to-answer solution possible.”
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1 Emerg Infect Dis. 2005 Apr; 11(4): 603–609
2 J Food Prot. 2005; 68:2623–2630
3 https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-11-18/index.html
4 cspinet.org/reports/outbreak-alert-2015.pdf
5 GMA Study: Capturing Recall Costs, 2011:
https://www.gmaonline.org/file-manager/images/gmapublications/Capturing_Recall_Costs_GMA_Whitepaper_FINAL.pdf
6 https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/food-safety-testing-market.asp
About LexaGene Holdings Inc.
LexaGene is a biotechnology company commercializing the very first easy-to-use, fully automated, genetic analyzer that
is open-access. The open-access feature empowers end-users to target any genetic sequence of interest, whether of pathogen or
human origin. To take advantage of the open-access feature, end-users simply need to load their own real-time PCR assays onto
the instrument to customize their tests or run validated assays the company is developing. LexaGene’s analyzers offer
excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of pathogen detection while returning results in about 1 hour. The company
expects to sell its technology in the food safety and veterinary diagnostics markets, as well as to markets that need easy-to-use
customized testing such as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academia, and institutions performing water quality
monitoring, aquaculture pathogen surveillance, and others.
Media Contacts
Nicole Ridgedale
Director of Corporate Marketing, LexaGene
800.215.1824 ext 206
nridgedale@lexagene.com
Investor Relations
Jay Adelaar
Vice President of Capital Markets, LexaGene
800.215.1824 ext 207
jadelaar@lexagene.com
The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has
neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy
of this release.
This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors --
including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the success of technology development efforts, the cost to
procure critical parts, performance of the instrument, market acceptance of the technology, regulatory acceptance, and licensing
issues -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations as disclosed in the Company's
documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the
extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
