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Grant Awarded to Develop Blood Pathogens Diagnostics Device

Blood bag (NIH)

(National Institutes of Health)

The U.S. Defense Medical Research and Development Program (DMRDP) awarded one of its Applied Research and Technology Development grants to Micronics Inc., a medical diagnostics device company in Redmond, Washington. The award, for $2.6 million, will develop the company’s system for point-of-care molecular diagnosis of infectious pathogens.

In its announcement of research needs, DMRDP called for an accurate, rapid assay device for detecting bloodborne pathogens. The device needed a higher degree of sensitivity than existing equipment and would provide instant results, while being durable and functional in field testing to withstand wartime conditions.

Micronics proposed its PanNAT system to meet this need. The company says PanNAT is a lightweight, portable sample-to-answer device. It contains an instrument that processes a cartridge incorporating all reagents for detection of multiple bloodborne pathogens in fresh blood samples.

The specific pathogens to be detected are those for hepatitis B and C (HBV, HCV), as well as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The assay is intended for use in the battlefield to screen out any infectious blood donated for transfusion.

Related: Virginia Medical Device Company Wins Small Business Grants

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