Seattle startup will use funding to develop urine-based tuberculosis test using engineered NovoBodies technology for low-resource settings.
Monod Bio, a Seattle-based biotechnology startup, has received a $1.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation to develop a next-generation rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) detection.
The University of Washington Institute for Protein Design spinout will use the funding to create a urine-based test designed to address critical gaps in TB detection in low-resource settings, where delayed diagnosis limits treatment access and increases community transmission risk.
The test will utilize Monod Bio’s proprietary NovoBodies technology, which consists of engineered proteins designed to overcome limitations of traditional antibody-based diagnostics. These computationally designed proteins are engineered for high specificity and sensitivity in detecting TB biomarkers.
“The industry has long been confined to adapting natural proteins for diagnostic purposes,” says Daniel Silva Manzano, PhD, CEO of Monod Bio, in a release. “With this grant from the Gates Foundation, we are pioneering a new era of diagnostics by building proteins from the ground up, with precise control over their function.”
Lateral-Flow Assay Development
The company plans to develop a lateral-flow assay format that could provide enhanced sensitivity compared to existing TB diagnostic methods. The urine-based approach offers potential advantages in sample collection and processing in resource-limited healthcare settings.
Traditional TB diagnostics often require sputum samples and laboratory infrastructure that may not be available in areas with high TB burden. A urine-based test could simplify sample collection and reduce the need for specialized laboratory equipment.
The project represents an application of de novo protein design technology to address global health diagnostic challenges. Monod Bio’s platform uses artificial intelligence-powered protein design to create novel protein binders and biosensors for in vitro diagnostic and research applications.
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