Original from: 360dx

The US Administration for Strategic Response and Preparedness' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced Monday that it has awarded a $9.2 million contract to Revvity to develop a home-use test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A and B. 

BARDA also announced last week that it has partnered with Sherlock Biosciences to develop a similar home-use combination test. Financial terms of the partnership with Sherlock were not disclosed. 

The Revvity contract will accelerate the development of an at-home molecular diagnostic test platform. The 30-minute combo test will include a reusable hub and disposable cartridge, BARDA said in a statement. 

Revvity plans to use the funds to support multisite clinical studies to validate the clinical performance of the test and its usability by nonprofessionals in order to pursue marketing authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Sherlock's single-use device, meanwhile, will be handheld, battery operated and incorporate isothermal amplification to provide results in 15 minutes from nasal swab samples. 

Sherlock's foundational technologies include SHERLOCK (Specific High-sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter unLOCKing) and INSPECTR (INternal Splint-Pairing Expression Cassette Translation Reaction), a synthetic biology-based molecular diagnostics platform. 

The firm also licensed an ambient temperature amplification method from the Wyss institute in 2022 and acquired Sense Biodetection along with its handheld Veros system and enzyme-based isothermal nucleic acid amplification chemistries in 2023. 

Both tests align with a strategic plan to improve access to equitable diagnostics during outbreaks, BARDA said. 

Source: BARDA Awards Revvity $9.2M, Partners With Sherlock Biosciences for COVID/Flu Home Tests