Ustar Biotechnologies Wins 2017 National Science and Technology Progress Award (Second Class) for Innovative Molecular Diagnostics in Forest Pest Control

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned, jointly completed by YouSida, the State Forestry Administration, Nanjing Forestry University, and other institutions"Epidemiological Patterns of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus in China and New Technologies for Its Control"The Project Has WonSecond Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. The products from the award-winning projects have already been commercialized and have received positive market feedback.

Ustar has successfully applied its proprietary Cross-Priming Amplification (CPA) technology to molecular diagnostics, developing the next-generation product “Isothermal Amplification Multi-Channel Magnetic Conductivity Nucleic Acid Analyzer” and associated reagents.

On this platform, the company is developing more than 30 molecular diagnostic products for infectious diseases (including tuberculosis, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections), as well as molecular detection products for pet pathogens and quarantine pests in animals and plants.

The award-winning pine wood nematode detection product is part of the company’s series of molecular diagnostic products. This rapid detection technology enables immediate confirmation and early warning of forest pest outbreaks, providing a comprehensive solution for the emergency response system in forest pest control.

Ustar’s molecular testing platform features integration, automated sample processing, one-step operation, high stability, high sensitivity, and high specificity. Furthermore, one of the technologies employed by the platform, CPA (Cross-Priming Amplification), is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification technique officially recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, making it suitable for the diagnosis, prevention, and control of various major infectious diseases.

Meanwhile,The platform has received special approval for innovation under the National Medical Device Approval Green Channel. It is poised for extensive application in critical areas such as major infectious disease control, emergency public health response, and clinical laboratory testing, holding revolutionary significance.

Hangzhou Ustar Biotechnologies Co., Ltd. was co-founded by Chinese-American scientists Dr. You Qimin and Dr. Hu Lin, and was registered and established in Hangzhou on January 28, 2005.

Ustar is a high-tech biotechnology company dedicated to the research and development, manufacturing, and sales of innovative point-of-care testing (POCT) molecular diagnostic products. The company’s headquarters and production base are both located in the High-Tech Park of Binjiang District, Hangzhou. The production facility covers an area of 2,000 square meters, including an 800-square-meter Class 100,000 cleanroom, and has been certified under the ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2012+AC2012 quality management systems.

The company holds multiple independent intellectual property rights and operates several rapid molecular detection technology platforms, including: a microbial (DNA/RNA) detection platform, an SNP/gene mutation detection platform, and a clinical differential diagnosis (Multiplex-Tests) platform. Based on these platforms, it has developed various novel rapid molecular diagnostic kits. Ustar’s innovative technologies include trace nucleic acid extraction, isothermal amplification, fully closed-system rapid detection of target nucleic acid amplicons, reagent vitrification, and SNP/gene mutation detection.

The platform formed by integrating these technologies frees molecular testing and diagnostics from reliance on expensive equipment and specialized molecular laboratories, enabling convenient and rapid deployment across healthcare, disease control, and testing institutions at all levels. It is particularly well-suited for primary care hospitals, developing countries, and point-of-care settings.

The Ustar molecular testing platform boasts broad clinical application prospects, including pathogenic microorganism detection in clinical laboratories of hospitals at all levels and CDC laboratories; detection of pathogens and pests in health quarantine and animal/plant quarantine within inspection and quarantine operations; prevention and control of major infectious diseases and public health emergencies; oncology drug development in the pharmaceutical industry; and the research, development, and testing of mutant genes and "biomarkers" as "Companion Diagnostics" in clinical practice and treatment.

Currently, Ustar has developed a series of diagnostic kits for pathogenic bacteria and viral drug-resistance genes, covering areas such as tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections. Its tuberculosis detection technology has been recommended by the WHO as a new technology. Meanwhile, we collaborate with internationally renowned non-governmental organizations, including PATH and MBGF, as well as multiple Chinese research institutions and clinical units, on major special projects and studies. We are continuously striving to establish Ustar as a world-class molecular diagnostics company in the near future.