LONDON, May 7 /PRNewswire/ --

The Frost Sullivan 2009 European Molecular Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases Product Line Strategy of the Year Award, is presented to SIRS-Lab GmbH. The company's exceptional product line for sepsis diagnosis and monitoring make it a worthy recipient of this award.

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Sepsis is the second commonest cause of death in industrialised countries. The major challenge for intensive care physicians is to be able to identify sepsis as early as possible to facilitate appropriate and effective treatment.

In addition to blood culture tests, there are three commercial molecular tests available in the European market for the early and rapid identification of sepsis-causing pathogens. Among them is SIRS-Lab GmbH's VYOO(R), which was launched in 2007.

VYOO(R) allows both early and rapid identification of sepsis-causing pathogens, notes Frost Sullivan Industry Analyst Arun AK. It covers 99 per cent of sepsis-relevant species and simultaneously tests for key antibiotic resistances, with results becoming available within 8 hours.

Since VYOO(R) can run on any PCR equipment, investment is low, making it easy for laboratories to adopt. The test was granted the European CE mark in 2008. Besides VYOO(R), SIRS-Lab also offers a pathogen DNA concentration system called LOOXSTER(R) for efficient sample preparation.

SIRS-Lab is the first company in the market to introduce a holistic diagnostic approach for managing sepsis, remarks Arun AK. The company's mission of 'Decoding Sepsis' is now being met by the development of its second key technology, SIQNATURE(R), a first-of-its-kind test for the early detection of sepsis through gene expression (transcriptome) profiling.

SIQNATURE(R) will allow physicians to identify or exclude sepsis on the ICU much earlier than through evaluating clinical signs alone. The test not only provides early differentiation of infectious from other causes of systemic inflammatory response, but may in future also be used for monitoring of the patient's ongoing response to the infection and its treatment.

With launch planned in 2009, SIQNATURE(R) will put SIRS-Lab in an excellent position by offering comprehensive coverage in the sepsis market, states Arun AK. SIQNATURE(R), especially when used together with VYOO(R), has the potential to revolutionise the management of sepsis.

SIRS-Lab has further strengthened its ability to penetrate the market through an in-licensing agreement with DxS Limited for Scorpions PCR platform technology. Considering the track record of this technology in the market, the design of SIQNATURE represents a perceptive strategic move by SIRS-Lab.

The ability to launch 3 major products in four years in the highly complex area of sepsis diagnostics shows the impressive strength of research and development at SIRS-Lab, concludes Arun AK. This, combined with the company's constant effort to stay ahead in the market by strengthening its product portfolio, puts SIRS-Lab at the top of the market.

The Frost Sullivan Product Line Strategy of the Year Award is presented to the company that has demonstrated the most insight into the needs and product demands of its customers. The recipient company has optimised its product line by leveraging products with the various price, performance, and feature points required by one or more market segments.

Frost Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About SIRS-Lab GmbH

Located in Jena, Germany, SIRS-Lab is a molecular diagnostic company which develops and commercializes unique and innovative products to identify and monitor life-threatening infections such as sepsis, one of the major causes of death in hospitals. With its diagnostic suite consisting of VYOO(R) and SIQNATURE(R), the company's molecular diagnostic portfolio meets the currently unmet medical needs of fast and reliable identification and monitoring of sepsis. Created as a spin-off of the University Clinic of Jena, SIRS-Lab was founded in 2000 among others by Prof. K. Reinhart, Prof. E. Straube and Prof. H.-P. Saluz, and now has about 50 employees. Find out more on www.sirs-lab.com.

SIRS-Lab GmbH Contact Information Axel Kunz - Manager Public Relations Phone: +49-3641-508-430 E-Mail: kunz@sirs-lab.com www.sirs-lab.com

About Frost Sullivan

Frost Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

Frost Sullivan Contact Information Jasmine Malone - Promotions Coordinator Phone: +44-207-915-7869 E-Mail: jasmine.malone@frost.com

Axel Kunz, Manager Public Relations of SIRS-Lab GmbH, +49-3641-508-430, kunz@sirs-lab.com; or Jasmine Malone, Promotions Coordinator of Frost Sullivan, +44-207-915-7869, jasmine.malone@frost.com / Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO