BARDA Awards Contract to DNAe to Develop Semiconductor DNA Sequencing Platform

October 3, 2016 | DNA Electronics (DNAe), the inventors of semiconductor-based next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technology (covered in a Diagnostics World article) and developers of a revolutionary blood-to-result test for bloodstream infections, announces that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has awarded the company a contract worth up to $51.9 million to develop its sequencing platform for rapid diagnosis in two key applications; antimicrobial resistant infections and influenza.

Genomic information derived from DNA sequencing is transforming many areas of medicine. This is the first NGS platform supported by BARDA, with game-changing potential in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.

The contract for the project, entitled PISCES (Pathogen Identification from Specimen, via Capture Extraction and Sequencing), will enable DNAe to complete the development and validation of its ground-breaking Genalysis platform and support a series of applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing clearance.

The Genalysis platform will combine the ability to sequence the DNA of the infectious organism, in a sealed microchip based system, direct from clinical specimen, with analysis that enables actionable identification of the disease agent within a few hours, a key requirement in the effective treatment of infectious diseases.

DNAe’s first product will be a rapid blood-to-result diagnostic system to meet an unmet need in the treatment of serious bloodstream infections leading to sepsis. Sepsis is an area of very high unmet medical need, responsible for over 200,00 deaths per annum in the US, more than prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. In late stage development and testing, the new system is set for commercial launch in 2018.