BARDA to work with Cytovale on sepsis test

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has struck a partnership with Cytovale to develop a rapid diagnostic system for sepsis as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Cytovale’s rapid diagnostic system analyzes the biomechanical properties of immune cells, which has the potential to enable early and rapid diagnosis of sepsis in less than 10 minutes. This would enable timely and accurate triage in the emergency department and optimize the use of valuable hospital resources.

Sepsis is the body’s extreme response to an infection. It occurs when an infection triggers a chain reaction throughout one’s body. Without timely treatment, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.

The pilot study will enroll patients suspected of respiratory infections, including COVID-19 patients, before conducting full validation studies. This pilot study is a critical step in evaluating the system’s performance to rapidly identify the likelihood of sepsis in these patients.

This study is part of BARDA’s Rapidly Deployable Capabilities program. The goal of the program is to identify innovative solutions for COVID-19, leveraging the development of Cytovale’s rapid diagnostic system under BARDA’s Division of Research Innovation and Venture (DRIVe) Solving Sepsis Program.

Cytovale is a San Francisco, Calif., based medical technology company dedicated to revolutionizing diagnostics using cell mechanics and machine learning, and applying this first to sepsis, a condition whose early detection dramatically improves patient outcomes.