VIENNA, Austria and SINGAPORE, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Mycoplasma biosafety specialist Mycosafe Diagnostics GmbH and virus and prion biosafety company ViruSure GmbH - both based in Vienna, Austria - today announced at BioMedical Asia 2009 that they are to establish a second site in Singapore as part of a joint venture. This move will ensure that both companies are in an ideal position to offer the biosafety expertise and laboratory services so urgently required in the rapidly-expanding biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in Asia.

In the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, contamination with mycoplasmas, viruses and prions can result in losses worth millions if they are detected too late due to a lack of warning signs or inadequate contamination checks. The knock-on effect is that therapeutics are not approved for the market due to inconsistencies in the manufacturing process, diminished quality and possible risks to health.

Mycosafe has an international reputation as leading service provider of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)-certified quality-control analyses for detecting and preventing mycoplasma contamination. The company is now to establish its first branch abroad with the site in Singapore. Founder and Managing Director of Mycosafe Prof. Renate Rosengarten: As mycoplasmas have the potential to cause considerable damage, well-defined mycoplasma biosafety testing procedures are laid down in international regulatory protocols. Based on these standard procedures, more rapid and technologically innovative alternative test methods have recently been developed and are currently being validated for compliance with the regulatory requirements. Mycosafe began specialising in this market niche five years ago and is now one of few providers worldwide that can offer sound scientific and regulatory know-how in this area. Our new site in Singapore enables us to bring this expertise to the expanding Asian bioscience and biopharmaceutical industry.

ViruSure was founded four years ago and, like Mycosafe, it has succeeded in establishing a reputation as key biosafety company among the international biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Dr. Andy Bailey, co-founder and Managing Director of ViruSure: Mycoplasma biosafety demands special scientific and regulatory expertise and experience. Similarly, the detection and management of virus and prion contamination requires state-of-the-art know-how and experience built up over many years. As one of few companies specialising in this area, ViruSure offers this know-how and experience as part of its customer-focused services and first-class-quality standards.

A commercial office in Singapore's renowned Biopolis is representing both companies to establish new business relationships in the Asia region. Dr. Bailey: With its roots in the existing cooperation at our respective headquarters in Vienna, the joint venture between Mycosafe and ViruSure offers our customers an expanded high-quality portfolio of biosafety services. With this strategic advantage in mind, we have announced our joint venture at a workshop on mycoplasma and virus risk minimisation strategies that was organised by Mycosafe and ViruSure as part of BioMedical Asia 2009.

Mycosafe Diagnostics GmbH

Mycosafe is a GMP-certified company specialised in mycoplasma biosafety testing and associated validation, contract research and consulting services. The company was founded in 2003 by internationally renowned mycoplasma-expert Prof. Rosengarten as spin-off of the Institute for Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene headed by her at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. At its headquarters in Vienna the company has a workforce of 19 and state-of-the-art S1-S3 laboratories.

ViruSure GmbH

ViruSure specialises in virus and prion biosafety testing and associated regulatory and consulting services. The company was founded in 2005 as spin-off of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. At its main headquarters in Vienna the company has a workforce of 17 and state-of-the-art S1-S3 laboratories.

Contact: Telephone: +4315057044 Prof. Rosengarten/Mycosafe Diagnostics GmbH: renate.rosengarten@mycosafe.com Dr. Bailey/ViruSure GmbH: andy_bailey@virusure.com

Contact: Telephone: +4315057044, Prof. Rosengarten/Mycosafe Diagnostics GmbH: renate.rosengarten@mycosafe.com; Dr. Bailey/ViruSure GmbH: andy_bailey@virusure.com