InteliSpark client, mPOD, Inc., wins a $500k grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a low-cost COVID-19 saliva test along with an app that will facilitate data collection, tracking, and tracing of COVID-19 cases.
Though the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines bring hope to a world that has come to a screeching halt in many ways due to the pandemic, the time it will take to distribute the vaccine to the wider population may cost many more lives. Meanwhile, new and more contagious strains of the virus have emerged that will continue to overwhelm healthcare systems.
Since the United States has prioritized severe and high risk-patients, the virus continues to spread as mild and asymptomatic cases go unnoticed. The need for rapid, widespread, and inexpensive testing is needed now more than ever. mPOD, Inc., a New-York based startup, is rising to meet this global health challenge by developing a diagnostic platform to detect COVID-19 in saliva along with a mobile app for data collection, tracking and tracing of the virus.
This new diagnostic has the potential to deliver test results faster and with greater accuracy and sensitivity compared to existing diagnostics. The app will help businesses, manufacturers, schools and large institutions track cases that will better inform public health responses. This novel technology also has potential applications for diagnosing other pathogens that may arise.
This grant is part of the federally-mandated Small Business Innovation Research program and more specifically, the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative.