Proctor & Gamble to trial Ambri's biosensor

Sydney-based company Ambri has announced that it has entered into an agreement with US consumer products giant Proctor & Gamble (P&G).

The early-stage, exploratory project will examine the feasibility of using Ambri's SensiDx technology for analysis of clinical samples in a specific application for P&G.

The project is expected to last for six months with the option for further collaboration between the two companies.

According to Ambri chief operating officer Fiona Dring, Ambri and P&G have worked together in the past. "They've had previous experience with us, they know our technology," she explained.

The Ambri SensiDx System is used to detect and measure substances including drugs, hormones, viruses or bacteria in body fluids. It uses a membrane as a biological switch, detecting binding of specific molecules to membrane proteins and converting that event into an electrical signal.

Ambri has developed the system to be used as a point of care diagnostic device to be used in hospital emergency rooms. Initial applications include measurement of the pregnancy hormone HCG and the potassium electrolyte which is indicative of heart attacks.