NIH awards $129M for COVID-19 testing technologies

The National Institutes of Health awarded $129.3 million for COVID-19 testing technologies as part of its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative.

The contracts went to nine companies for technologies that include portable point-of-care tests for immediate results or results within 24 hours.

“Diagnostic testing is a critical component of the nation’s strategy to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic,” NIH Director Francis Collins said. “Just started at the end of April, the RADx initiative has moved swiftly to speed innovation and later-stage development in the biomedical technology sector. The results thus far have been outstanding.”

Further, some of the testing technologies have been supported by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

“One of the many facets of our testing strategy is to support and enable innovation,” Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health, said. “The new technologies being funded today have the potential to transform the diagnostics landscape if their promise is proven in clinical studies. This all-of-government approach to testing innovation, including DARPA, BARDA, NIH, HHS, and the private sector will yield benefits not only for the current pandemic but for diverse acute and chronic diseases Americans fight every day.”

These awards represent a diverse group of tests to meet the needs of different communities. Speed, cost, accessibility, and technical performance were all key considerations for RADx support. The new technologies will increase the number, type, and availability of tests by millions per week by this fall.

“The opportunity to scale up high-throughput laboratories and rapid point-of-care tests to meet the needs of communities all around the country is critical,” Rick Bright, senior advisor to the NIH director and lead for the RADx-Advanced Technology Platforms program, said. “The RADx initiative reflects the scientific ingenuity, technical diversity, and logistical capabilities of the private sector at its finest.”

The following companies received awards for point-of-care tests: MatMaCorp, Lincoln, Neb.; Maxim Biomedical, Rockville, Md.; and MicroGEM International, Charlottesville, Va. Awards for lab-based tests went to Aegis Sciences, Nashville, Tenn.; Broad Institute, Cambridge, Mass.; Ceres Nanoscience, Manassas, Va.; Illumina, San Diego, Calif.; PathGroup, Nashville, Tenn.; and Sonic Healthcare, Austin, Texas.