Fujifilm, French Institute to Develop Ebola Diagnosis Tech

Tokyo, Feb. 3 (Jiji Press)--Fujifilm Holdings Corp. <4901> said Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Bioaster, a French public research institute, to jointly develop a rapid diagnostic system for the Ebola virus. The aim is to establish a diagnostic system that can detect Ebola infections in as short as about 15 minutes. At present, only large research centers and hospitals are properly equipped to diagnose Ebola. Fujifilm aims to develop the system by the end of the year. The company is contributing technology it has traditionally used in the photo development process. The same technology was used to develop an influenza diagnosis system that can detect the virus in three to 15 minutes. The system is now used at hospitals all over Japan. The French institute will provide the Ebola antibodies. If the new technology works, Ebola detection will be possible in about 15 to 30 minutes through a simple test on a portable device. In order to contain the disease, it is important to identify infections in their early stages and break the chain of infection, as well as develop vaccines and drugs. END