Rheonix, in Collaboration with NYU Dentistry, to Pursue Rapid Zika Virus Diagnostic with Additional Funding from NIDCR
Collaboration will develop automated system for simultaneous Zika virus detection and confirmation.
4/25/2016
Rheonix, Inc., a developer of fully automated molecular testing solutions, in collaboration with New York University College of Dentistry, has received an administrative supplement of $656,414 to an existing Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I/II Fast-track grant from the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop a rapid diagnostic for Zika virus infection. The grant will allow the Rheonix/NYU team to pursue the development of a fully automated screening and self-confirming assay that will simultaneously detect and confirm the Zika virus presence in a single, small sample of saliva or blood specimen.
The assay will be performed on the Rheonix Chemistry and Reagent Device, or Rheonix CARD®. Once a raw sample is placed on the Rheonix CARD, the automated platform runs with no user intervention through the process of sample extraction, purification, amplification and detection. This eliminates the need for multiple pieces of existing equipment, helping to make the testing process quicker, more efficient, less expensive and less likely to result in human error.
“As we continue to demonstrate the utility of our novel microfluidic-based technology, we remain committed to deploying the technology to address global health needs,” said Dr. Greg Galvin, CEO and chairman at Rheonix. “Addressing the Zika virus certainly fits the bill given the elevated health alerts issued throughout the world.”
In February 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Zika virus disease is caused by Zika viruses that is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, but transmission from mother to child, through sexual contact, and through blood transfusion have also been reported. According to the NIH, there is a tentative link between Zika virus infections in pregnant women and microcephaly, a condition characterized by a small head and brain, in their newborn babies. In addition, a possible connection exists between Zika infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system.
The parental SBIR grant has led to Rheonix’s successful development of a new diagnostic capable of simultaneously detecting anti-HIV antibodies and viral RNA in the same specimen.
“We have had a longstanding and very productive collaborative relationship with Dr. Dan Malamud’s laboratory at New York University College of Dentistry and it has been through those efforts that we successfully developed the dual assay for anti-HIV antibodies and viral RNA,” said Dr. Richard Montagna, senior vice president for scientific and clinical affairs at Rheonix, and the principal investigator on the grant. “It seemed to be a logical extension of those efforts to attempt the same approach for Zika virus, and we were pleased that NIDCR agreed with our proposed approach.”
Dr. Malamud, professor of basic science and craniofacial biology, notes that “the Zika virus appears to disappear from blood in 6-10 days, but is still detectable in saliva and urine. Anti-Zika antibodies can be detected several days after infection. A combined RNA and antibody test will enable detection of both early and late Zika virus infections.”