Bosch Healthcare and diagnostic company Randox will invest $159m (€150m) to expand the former company’s Vivalytic analysis platform.

The funds from the strategic partnership will see the two embark on joint research and development activities, along with a sales push for new tests for the point-of-care molecular diagnostic device that enables fast polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test turnaround.

The companies did not disclose how much each would contribute to the partnership.

Bosch is targeting a market-leading position in point-of-care molecular diagnostics, seeking to expand the testing range of its Vivalytic device.

Bosch’s chairman Stefan Hartung said: “With cutting-edge technology from our own labs and our own production lines, we want to grow long-term together with partners in the field of precision diagnostics.”

The global PCR market is forecast to grow to nearly $1.3bn by 2033, up from $733m last year, according to analysis by GlobalData. According to the market model, Roche, Bio-Rad and Thermo Fisher are leaders in the device space.

Bosch and Northern Ireland-based Randox have revealed one of the partnership’s early focuses – a highly sensitive multiplex2test for sepsis on the Vivalytic device. Both companies plan to implement the BioMEMS chip on the test cartridge, which allows multiple PCRs to run simultaneously. This, the companies state, will allow for faster tests for a large number of different pathogens.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that at least 1.7 million adults develop sepsis each year. It is the third leading cause of death in US hospitals.

Randox’s managing director Dr Peter Fitzgerald said: “Such a test could revolutionize sepsis diagnosis, ultimately leading to improved treatment outcomes and lower mortality rates from this life-threatening condition.”

US-based Inflammatix is another player in the sepsis test space. The company was granted breakthrough device designation by the US Food and Drug Administration for its TriVerity Test System, designed to be used in emergency departments for patients suspected of infection or sepsis.

The partnership between Bosch and Randox continues on their previous collaboration, involving the creation of a fully automated PCR test for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus during the Covid-19 pandemic.