NEW YORK, May 23 (GenomeWeb News) - Cepheid said today that it has entered into a collaboration with the non-profit Foundation for Innovative Diagnostics to develop a rapid molecular diagnostic test for tuberculosis.
The test, which will run on Cepheid's GeneXpert system, will detect TB mycobacteria in sputum and determine whether the organisms are drug resistant, the company said.
Cepheid researchers will collaborate with David Alland, a tuberculosis expert at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, on the development of the test, which will be designed to run on Cepheid's GeneXpert System.
FIND is based in Geneva and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization's goal is to develop affordable diagnostic tests for diseases affecting underprivileged populations in developing countries.
According to data from the World Health Organization, TB caused approximately 1.7 million deaths in 2004.
