Biomagnetics Diagnostics, a developer of diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, has signed a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Los Alamos National Security, for the development of a waveguide-based integrated optical biosensor platform for the detection of disease causing pathogens.
Biomagnetics plans to release the technology, initially targeting cholera and tuberculosis, into the public sector upon completion of the prior work.
Under the agreement, the scientific and engineering staffs are expected to produce a duplicate of the existing bench-top biosensor platform, optimise and test the existing cholera assay and to train company’s scientific staff at Los Alamos.
In addition the agreement is also expected to provide guidance to Biomagnetics to identify a list of potential sources from which to obtain human cholera samples, and to provide guidance on how to properly utilise the cholera test assays on human samples.
Clayton Hardman, CEO of Biomagnetics Diagnostics, said: “Integrated optical biosensors are a relatively new classification of pathogen detection equipment that use advanced wave-guide technology to detect a wide variety of human and animal pathogens, holding the promise of lowering the cost and increasing the availability of diagnosis.
“This new agreement expands our original agreement with Los Alamos National Security, that was signed near the end of 2009, that provides us with some of the most technologically advanced biosensor technology in existence.
“These devices are specifically designed to be field deployable and ultraportable, allowing for the rapid detection of various viral and bacterial pathogens by relatively un-trained personnel outside the laboratory setting at a fraction of the cost of traditional diagnostic technologies.
“We believe these devices hold the potential to revolutionize disease detection and diagnosis and save millions of lives. We are clearly honored to be working with the very prestigious and highly qualified scientific staff at Los Alamos National Security.”