For the first time ever, the center is funding the development of diagnostic systems — specifically for the development of three devices to detect the infection.
The award will fund optimization of the Hemopurifier exosome isolator, with an eye towards developing applications in cancer research and clinical care.
The platform is designed to isolate exosomes from blood, then release their extracellular RNA cargo for analysis as biomarkers for diseases including cancer.
The grant recipients will receive up to $5 million each and are led by scientists at institutions including Harvard Medical School and the Cleveland Clinic.
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation gift will expand research into the use of saliva to monitor lithium levels in patients with bipolar and other disorders.
The new grant will be used to conduct whole-exome sequencing on 1,000 children participating in an autism spectrum disorder study for the purposes of biomarker development.
The developer of assays to detect drug-resistant strains of HIV has now branched into Lassa detection, and will potentially be seeking instrument partners.
The team said it will partner with startup Early Diagnostics to commercialize the assay, which integrates DNA methylation analysis and computational technology.
DiaCarta scientists will partner with the University of Florida Health Cancer Center to analyze blood samples from up to 500 cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.
