Visby Medical, an innovator in at-home PCR testing of infectious diseases, has announced a strategic collaboration with Watchmaker Genomics, a supplier of innovative products for molecular analysis, to develop next-generation diagnostic tests for respiratory pathogen detection in the at-home setting.
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This partnership pairs Visby Medical’s instrument-free PCR testing technology – the first and only of its kind – with Watchmaker’s expertise in engineering enzymes to address application-specific performance gaps.
Clinical samples collected from patients for at-home testing are typically unprocessed, making them vulnerable to molecular inhibitors that can reduce signal strength and lower assay sensitivity. The need for rapid results in the at-home setting also places unique performance demands on the assays and the enzymes they rely on.
“Recent increases in COVID cases involving new strains and the current flu season highlight the need for tests that are reliable and fast,” explained Gary Schoolnik, MD, infectious disease expert, chief medical officer at Visby Medical, and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “Every patient and their healthcare professional needs test results they can have confidence in so that appropriate treatment decisions can be made quickly for optimal recovery, infection control, and the judicious use of antibiotics. The essential tool is rapid PCR testing that does not require instruments or extended lab preparation.”
“This partnership underscores Watchmaker’s commitment to delivering solutions that address real issues in clinically relevant applications, and we are excited to work with Visby Medical to provide a unique and urgently needed solution that utilizes their PCR platform,” stated Trey Foskett, co-founder, and CEO of Watchmaker Genomics. “Our StellarScript HT+ Reverse Transcriptase is engineered to be highly inhibitor-tolerant and thermostable – the novel enzyme is an excellent fit for rapid pathogen detection.”