NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) — Epistem said yesterday that it has entered into cooperative agreements with the US Air Force and Johns Hopkins University's Advanced Physics Laboratory to undertake combat evaluation of Epistem's Genedrive molecular handheld pathogen-detection device.
The agreement provides Manchester, UK-based Epistem with $600,000 over five months to develop and evaluate Genedrive for the identification of three known disease pathogens.
Successful completion of the combat evaluation program will secure ongoing investment for Genedrive's development as a handheld pathogen-detection unit for the US Department of Defense, Epistem said.
Genedrive is a fully integrated, handheld, endpoint PCR-based system that weighs around a pound and has a footprint similar to that of a laptop computer.
The company said this week that it is preparing to launch the first Genedrive test for tuberculosis this year, and it is currently readying the final stages of clinical trials to support Indian regulatory approval.