Sherlock Bio to buy UK firm in quest for CRISPR-based handheld diagnostic tests

(Reuters) - Privately-held Sherlock Biosciences said on Wednesday it has acquired UK-based Sense Biodetection to speed up the launch of handheld diagnostic tests that use the breakthrough CRISPR gene editing technology.

Sherlock raised $80 million nearly a year ago for development of diagnostics based on the CRISPR tool, which is designed to work like a pair of genetic scissors.

The company declined to comment on financial terms of the deal with Sense.

Sherlock was the first company to gain authorization for a CRISPR-based COVID-19 test in 2020.

The diagnostics company said the deal, which gives access to Sense's genetic testing platform Veros, would help accelerate the launch of handheld tests for a range of respiratory and sexual health diseases.

(Reporting by Mariam E Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)