NEW YORK – The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics has issued a second expression of interest to developers of tests for SARS-CoV-2, this time focusing on immoassays.
The new EOI is a follow-up to one issued last month for molecular diagnostic tests. FIND is collaborating again with the World Health Organization, this time to evaluate currently available immunoassays for the direct detection of the coronavirus or the detection of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
The evaluations will be performed at multiple, independent third-party laboratories and hospitals to evaluate test performance, FIND said. The intention is to inform public health policy, surveillance programs, and clinical management of patients who may have COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
The EOI, FIND added, is for test developers who are interested in having their tests evaluated using this standardized independent protocol. Information submitted through the EOI will be used to select assays for evaluation studies, and results from the studies will be shared with the global health community. All tests submitted to the EOI will be included in the SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics pipeline tracker on FIND's website.
The deadline to respond to the EOI is 11:59 p.m. CET, March 20.