NEW YORK – Corning said late las week that it has received a $15 million award from the US Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, for the domestic production of robotic pipette tips, which are used in diagnostic testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The award will allow Corning's life sciences business to add incremental domestic production capacity for the robotic pipette tips, which help automate liquid handling and are used in drug discovery and screening, cell culture, and PCR testing applications such as COVID-19 diagnostic testing, the company said.
"The surge in global demand for COVID-19 testing has revealed an industry-wide shortage of robotic tips and other integral products," Ron Verkleeren, senior vice president and general manager of Corning's life science technologies business, said in a statement. "Corning is pleased to again answer the call, as we mobilize our capabilities to combat the virus. We're proud to support the US government in its effort to expand domestic manufacturing of diagnostic products and to help establish a robust supply chain for the future."