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RNA Disease Diagnostics to Develop Point-of-Care Coronavirus Test With Newly Licensed Tech

NEW YORK — RNA Disease Diagnostics said on Thursday that it has acquired an exclusive worldwide license to a diagnostic technology — owned by the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County — that it will use to develop a rapid, point-of-care for SARS-CoV-2.

According to the company, the technology uses antisense oligonucleotides to detect infectious disease gene sequences and can provide results within 45 minutes. It will initially use the technology to develop a point-of-care test for SARS-CoV-2, followed by a home-use test.

Additional details about the technology or the license were not disclosed.

"Licensing this promising sensor technology from the universities enables us to advance a diagnostic test that may serve as a future gold standard in accurate and rapid COVID-19 testing," RNA Disease Diagnostics Cofounder and Chairman Allan Oberman said in a statement.

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