Shield Close To Signing Marketing Deal For AFT

Shield Diagnostics, based in Dundee, Scotland, is on the verge ofsigning a worldwide marketing agreement for its Advanced Factor XII blood test, which the company believes will prove to be an earlier and more accurate means of diagnosing vulnerability to heart attacks than cholesterol testing.

It is thought that either Abbott Laboratories or Baxter International is the most likely partner, and Shield is already collaborating with the former. Chief executive David Evans told the Marketletter that an announcement would be made shortly, as he was "just waiting for a signature on a piece of paper."

The company had been hoping to name its first major partnership to coincide with the release of the group's first-half results ended September 30, which showed a pretax profit of L271,000 ($442,678), compared with a loss of L291,000 for the corresponding period last year. Turnover rose 27% to L3.5 million.