PositiveID Achieves Firefly Dx Development Milestone With the Production of Injection-Molded PCR Chips

PositiveID Corporation, a developer of biological detection and diagnostics solutions, announced that it successfully achieved a new milestone in the development of its Firefly Dx PCR (polymerase chain reaction) prototype pathogen detection system (“prototype system”) with the production of the Company’s first article, molded PCR chips for the Firefly Dx cartridge.

The completion of injection-molded PCR chips represents the next stage of product maturity for the Firefly Dx prototype system. This advancement will enable the Company to produce large quantities of PCR chips at a lower cost, thereby enabling higher throughput of testing data and cost-effective field applications. PositiveID will now be able to incorporate and optimize additional assays on its Firefly Dx cartridge with a disposable PCR chip.

PositiveID’s Firefly Dx is designed to provide real-time, accurate diagnostic results in a handheld device, thereby leading to treatment scenarios at the point of need that are not possible with existing systems, which require lab-based equipment, highly trained personnel, and can take hours or even days to provide results. Firefly’s applications include point-of-need, lab-quality, detection of pathogenic organisms; agricultural and food screening in both domestic sectors and developing countries; and detection of biological agents associated with weapons of mass destruction.

“We continue to be encouraged by our sustained progress with the development and testing of the Firefly Dx prototype system,” stated William J. Caragol, Chairman and CEO of PositiveID. “This latest milestone is significant because it allows us to make our PCR chips disposable, which, we believe, represents another proof statement that Firefly Dx can fill a critical requirement for point-of-need, rapid, and cost-effective biological detection.”