NEW YORK – Minute Molecular Diagnostics has been awarded a $21.3 million contract from the US National Institutes of Health Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, or RADx, program to support the development of its Diagnostic Analyzer for Specific Hybridization, or DASH, PCR system and SARS-CoV-2 assay.
The DASH system is a rapid, cartridge-based, point-of-care molecular diagnostics instrument codeveloped by Evanston, Illinois-based Minute Molecular and Northwestern University's Center for Innovation in Global Health Technologies. The DASH SARS-CoV-2 assay tests patient samples directly from nasal swabs, providing PCR results in approximately 15 minutes.
"We are pleased to receive support from NIH through the RADx initiative to scale our innovative technology during this critical time of need," said David Kelso, president and CEO of Minute Molecular Diagnostics, in a statement. "DASH performs point-of-care PCR testing for COVID-19 in approximately 15 minutes, providing an important, new tool for safely reopening K-12 schools, universities, and workplaces," he said.
RADx has awarded more than $1.2 billion to developers to support SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics scale up.