NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Diagnostics firm MeMed said today it has received a $4.1 million grant from the US Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).
The company will use the funds to further develop a point-of-care platform on which it plans to offer its ImmunoXpert test for distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections.
The CDMRP grant follows a $9.2 million contract awarded MeMed last year by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to support development of a prototype POC device.
The Immunoxpert test measures the levels of three proteins to determine whether a patient's infection is viral or bacterial, allowing doctors to more quickly and accurately decide whether or not to treat with antibiotics. The test has the CE-IVD mark, and the company is marketing it on a limited basis in the European Union, Switzerland, and Israel.
"This grant will allow us to set up manufacturing processes for our POC platform, ultimately enabling MeMed's novel blood test that has been clinically validated for differentiating between bacterial and viral infection to reach the patient in a shorter time," Kfir Oved, MeMed's chief technology officer, said in a statement.