Mesa Biotech, San Diego, a privately held molecular diagnostics company that has developed an affordable, sample-to-answer molecular testing platform designed for point-of-care (POC) infectious disease diagnosis, has announced the addition of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) to its active influenza clinical trial in China.
The coronavirus test development and clinical trial is being conducted in collaboration with Wang Guangfa, MD, head of the department of pulmonary medicine at Peking University First Hospital. The clinical trial results will be submitted for an ‘emergency use authorization’ in both China and the United States.
“With a proven platform and a China clinical trial already underway for influenza, we are uniquely positioned to rapidly bring accurate and easily deployable coronavirus testing closer to the patient and away from the central lab,” says Hong Cai, coounder and chief executive officer at Mesa Biotech.
“Our technology development started at Los Alamos National Lab, supported by NIH grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Western Regional Centers for Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease program,” adds Cai. “Since the beginning we have focused on technology suited for emergency defense and rapid deployment for SARS, Ebola, and other emerging infectious diseases. Mesa’s platform was specifically designed for use outside the lab to enable rapid responses to global pandemics, such as COVID-19.”
For further information, visit Mesa Biotech.
