Madeleine Johnson

Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology has adapted a novel electrostatic microfilter to enhance detection of low concentrations of pathogens.

The use of highly multiplexed PCR panels to detect pathogens causing brain infections is poised to increase with new competition in the market.

The startup is looking to close a $9 million Series A round in Q3 and launch the system and a strep A assay in 2024.

The firm said overall it remains on track for a previously described transformation and new instrument launches. 

The Santa Barbara, California-based startup ultimately aims to develop 24-plex at-home syndromic panels.

The firm has developed a proprietary sample collection and preparation method as well as two 20-minute isothermal molecular systems.

The new real-time PCR-based system features continuous loading and random access, and will be the third EliTech has launched in the past eight years.

The firm is seeing the fruit of a two-year investment in transitioning from a research lab to a clinical focus.

Although bacterial and fungal drug resistance rates increased during the pandemic, a heavy focus on COVID testing has slowed adoption of novel ID/AST technologies.

The sample-to-answer system can multiplex up to 12 targets and can run both isothermal assays and RT-PCR with results in 30 minutes or 60 minutes, respectively.