LumiraDx, a London-based, next-generation point of care diagnostics company, has raised $14.2 million in grants. The capital came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (which backed ExPLoRNA Therapeutics and Cropin) to support the ongoing development of its point of care molecular tuberculosis (TB) testing system.
Next-gen TB diagnostics test
LumiraDx will use the investment to support TB test’s ongoing development and future launch into developing countries. The TB test is the first molecular test the company has developed for the point of care Platform. LumiraDx has already initiated testing of the TB molecular test in pre-clinical studies in Africa.
Ron Zwanziger, LumiraDx CEO commented, “The advancement of our TB molecular test signifies an important step forward in LumiraDx’s mission to increase access to accurate and affordable testing worldwide as well as an important step forward in our molecular testing technology. The support from the Gates Foundation is critical in our development of the TB test and ensuring it reaches communities where access to testing is most challenged. The availability of these immediate results can be game changing.”
Fills gaps in TB testing market
WHO indicates that the number of Tuberculosis infections have increased by 4.5% between 2020 and 2021 with 1.6 million deaths. Furthermore, the burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) also increased by 3% in the period. To address this crisis, a substantial new supply of molecular TB tests is required. LumiraDx’s molecular TB test is designed to fill these gaps and needs in the TB testing market and significantly increase access to testing.
LumiraDx was founded in 2014 by a group of entrepreneurs, Ron Zwanziger, Dave Scott, and Jerry McAleer with a successful track record in building and scaling diagnostics businesses over three decades.
LumiraDx’s diagnostic testing solutions are being deployed globally by governments and leading healthcare institutions across laboratories, urgent care, physician offices, pharmacies, schools, and workplaces to help screen, diagnose, and monitor wellness as well as disease.
Next-gen TB diagnostics tool
With the next-generation point of care diagnostics company, it is transforming community-based healthcare. Its actively controlled microfluidic technology provides fast, high performance and accessible diagnostic solutions wherever the patient is for nearly any testing scenario, creating unique testing options at the point of need.
The company offers a broad menu of lab comparable tests on a single portable Platform with more than 30 assays on the market and in the pipeline, covering infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and coagulation disorders. It supports high-complexity laboratory testing in an accessible high-throughput format to leverage current molecular laboratory operations.
Used with the LumiraDx multi-assay platform, the molecular TB test is being developed to provide highly accurate results at a low price at the point of care enabling clinicians to immediately commence appropriate treatment and patient management to maximise health outcomes and minimise further spread of infection. The LumiraDx platform is designed to run a variety of sample types and technology with 12 tests currently available.
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