NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Atlas Genetics announced today that it has received a two-year phase II contract from Innovate UK worth £2 million ($2.6 million), to expand its sexually transmitted infection test menu for the io rapid diagnostic platform, and to support the introduction of the platform into UK sexual health clinics.
Atlas will also begin collaborating with health economics consulting firm Aquarius Population Health and with the Applied Diagnostic Research and Evaluation Unit (ADREU) at St. George's University of London to research the benefits of point-of-care testing for sexual health. The project will also evaluate the performance of the io rapid diagnostic platform in multiple UK sexual health clinics, and will help Atlas further develop its Multi-STI (MSTI) test ahead of clinical trials.
Atlas' io system is a molecular diagnostic platform that rapidly diagnoses a broad range of infectious diseases. According to the company, the io system offers results within 30 minutes, allowing clinical professionals to perform infectious disease tests that are as accurate as those carried out in hospital laboratories. The multi-pathogen test detects Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Mycoplasma genitalium.
"We believe that there are real benefits to using the io rapid diagnostic platform as patients will be able to receive the appropriate treatment immediately and thereby reduce onward transmission, and ultimately save the NHS time and money," St. George University Director of ADREU Tariq Sadiq said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Atlas completed a $35 million Series D financing round, which financed clinical trials and commercial launch for its chlamydia and gonorrhea tests.