LightDeck Diagnostics, a company that uses planar waveguide technology to deliver lab-quality diagnostics in minutes, has won a $2 million order from HJFfunded by the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) and the Department of Defense (DoD).
The funds will be used to perform a rapid, quantitative, multiplex test for C-reactive protein (CRP), inducible protein 10 (IP-10 or CXCL-10), and other inflammatory markers known as cytokines and chemokines. to develop. The LightDeck Analyzer’s Inflammation Panel is designed to help healthcare providers determine a patient’s medical condition and the severity of their condition. The results could inform on-site, real-time triage and treatment decisions, potentially making a significant difference in patient outcomes.
Inflammation plays a critical role in all diseases, from infectious diseases like COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases to diseases like cancer. In COVID-19, the body triggers an inflammatory response that produces proteins such as CRP and IP-10 or CXCL-10, which are significantly elevated in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Preliminary data collected by LightDeck in collaboration with HJF suggest that panels of CRP and IP-10 biomarkers could be useful in predicting the hospitalization risk of COVID-19 patients.
dr HJF’s Danielle Clark said: “During pandemics or bio-threat events, when resources such as caregivers, ICU beds and ventilators are limited, there is benefit in triaging patients by determining the risk of hospitalization and allowing caregivers to Properly allocating health resources is paramount. We believe that the LightDeck analyzer’s ability to measure a range of inflammatory markers within minutes should enable improved patient care immediately upon arrival at the emergency room or clinic.”
The LightDeck Analyzer utilizes planar waveguide technology that can enable quantitative, highly sensitive, and specific testing for dozens of biomarkers on a single cartridge. The analyzer is compact, lightweight, and has a simple workflow so healthcare providers can easily implement it in laboratories, hospitals, clinics, or at the point-of-care.
Nick Traggis, CEO of LightDeck Diagnostics, said, “Multiplexed inflammation testing optimized for each condition is an exciting diagnostic and prognostic opportunity. With this project we want to validate the effectiveness of our inflammation panel for COVID-19, which is the first step towards providing a larger triage panel for respiratory failure caused by a variety of diseases. We are honored to continue to be a trusted source for fast, high-quality, multiplexed diagnostic solutions.”
HJF funding will support a study using LightDeck’s inflammation panel and an assessment of clinical, regulatory and commercial needs. LightDeck will develop plans to bring the tests to market through the FDA’s standard regulatory pathways for in vitro diagnostics. The Austere Environments Consortium for Improved Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO) team at HJF will develop machine learning algorithms derived from ongoing clinical research efforts. In parallel, LightDeck will be working with the JPEO team on additional ways to implement Biothreat Readiness.
