The company's DETECTR disease detection platform will be used to help develop the technology and optimize the CRISPR enzymes used in the point-of-care device.
The contract was awarded under DARPA's Detect It with Gene Editing Technologies program, which aims to create a device to detect at least 10 pathogens.
The funding will help the San Francisco-based firm apply low-depth NGS as it builds diagnostic tests to aid therapy selection in more diverse populations.
The new method incorporates analysis of the amplification and melt curves and was used to create a single-channel nonaplex test using intercalating dye.
Both RT-PCR tests are for the simultaneous qualitative detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and influenza B from throat swab samples.
Overall, GenMark's ePlex Respiratory Pathogen Panel 2 provides results for more than 20 viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2, flu A and B, RSV, and rhinovirus.
