Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (CEMI) a leader in point-of-care ("POC") diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, announced today that it has been awarded a cooperative research agreement with a U.S. government agency for up to $750,000 for an eight month development project. The project is to develop rapid POC diagnostic tests for five infectious diseases associated with febrile illness and to multiplex them into one assay. The project also contemplates that the test would be optimized for use with a mobile reader that incorporates cell phone technology to enable the results to be recorded, transmitted and monitored remotely via a cloud system, in real-time.
Javan Esfandiari, Chembio's Senior Vice President of Research & Development and the inventor of DPP(R), commented, "We are pleased to be awarded this research project to develop a complex multiplex assay as it builds on our strength in developing multiplex products using our proprietary DPP(R) technology. Our DPP(R) technology, combined with the mobile reader being used in the project, will enable real time data collection and monitoring capabilities. As these infectious diseases can all exhibit similar clinical symptoms, a rapid multiplex test that could distinguish them would be very useful, particularly in field conditions, so that correct diagnosis and treatment could be provided on a timely basis."