NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Nanogen said today that it has been awarded a two-year, $10.4 million contract from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop multi-analyte molecular diagnostic tests for influenza.
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Under the contract, San Diego-based Nanogen will develop a rapid molecular test that simultaneously detects and differentiates influenza type A and type B, seasonal flu (H1N1 and H3N2) strains, and respiratory syncytial virus. The firm also will develop a secondary test for avian flu strains including H5N1, H7N1, and H9N1, to be available for samples testing positive for flu A but negative for seasonal flu.
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Nanogen said it would develop the tests in combination with the Medical College of Wisconsin and HandyLab, and it expects the tests to be more sensitive and quicker than currently available molecular diagnostic assays for flu. Nanogen said that the proposal presented to the CDC said that it would use its MGB probe technology in combination with HandyLab’s Raider instrument, a microfluidic real-time PCR-based system.
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Nanogen also is developing a rapid, point-of-care flu test for the CDC, under a contract signed in December 2006.