Image created by Dr. Michael J. Miller
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded more than $4 million to three diagnostics developers to support advancements in more accurate HIV viral load detection.
The funds were awarded to Cepheid, Baebies, and Prompt Diagnostics as part of Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech’s Advanced Platforms for HIV Viral Load Monitoring program. Each of the three companies will receive more than $1 million in funds and support services based on the achievement of project milestones, the NIH said in a statement.
The program, aimed at advancing point-of-care (POC) HIV viral load detection diagnostics, was launched in spring 2024 by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering in collaboration with the NIH Office of AIDS Research and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Research has shown that sexual transmission of HIV doesn’t occur when the virus is undetectable in the bloodstream. This can enable people with HIV to be in relationships without fear of transmitting HIV, the NIH noted. However, while people with HIV can maintain an undetectable viral load by taking antiretroviral therapy exactly as prescribed, HIV viral load may increase to detectable levels under some circumstances, which leads to viral transmission risk. Viral-load monitoring is therefore critical for people with HIV.
The RADx Tech Advanced Platforms for HIV Viral Load Monitoring program solicitation attracted 29 applications. After initial rounds of assessment, eight projects advanced to a feasibility stage after the initial rounds of assessment. Expert support teams worked with the companies to further assess their technologies and readiness for viral load detection at the point of care. The three projects chosen will receive individual contract awards and begin milestone-driven activities in the coming year.
Cepheid is developing a POC test to quantitatively detect the levels of HIV-1, the most common type, from blood plasma samples in under 90 minutes. Baebies is optimizing a diagnostic system that uses reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction within a self-contained disposable cartridge on blood samples that is performed on a blood sample for HIV assay sensitivity, blood processing techniques, and viral load quantification capabilities. Prompt Diagnostics is developing a magnetofluidic cartridge platform with a compact instrument that facilitates automated infectious disease testing from blood samples with results available in under 30 minutes.