NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Idaho Technology has won a $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue developing a point-of-care molecular diagnostic platform geared for use particularly in underserved populations such as rural communities and the urban poor.
The Point-of-Care FilmArray that the company is developing will test for multiple viral and bacterial targets, such as respiratory pathogens, sepsis, and sexually transmitted infections, and will deliver results in less than an hour.
The POC instrument funded under this grant is based on the company's FilmArray, which allows for "a symptom-centric approach to testing," the company said. It will be adapted to function in non-traditional settings and to serve as a test for sexually transmitted infections.
"For those without access to healthcare facilities the POC FilmArray is a quick and easy way to diagnose and stop the spread of disease. In the event of a pandemic outbreak, early testing of individuals would facilitate containment and control transmission in the general public," the company said.