The U.S Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has awarded $2.6 million to DiaSorin – an Italy-based biotechnology company with offices in Stillwater, Minnesota – to further develop its Zika diagnostic tool.
With the agreement, ASPR is seeking to reduce the time it takes for physicians to determine if a patient was recently infected with Zika. DiaSorin is developing an automated, serological laboratory test for Zika using its LIASON XL system that can test up to 120 samples at one time and generates results within one hour.
Serological tests look for antibodies produced by the immune system's response to viruses. For Zika, the body produces response to the virus as early as two weeks after the infection and up to three months later.
These types of tests are critical for determining whether someone was recently infected with Zika because in most cases, those infected with Zika don't develop critical symptoms and are less likely to seek testing while the virus is still in the blood, according to ASPR officials.
[Also: University of Maryland unveils tool to gauge how public health taps EHRs in crises like Zika]
"Accurate, rapid Zika diagnostic tests to determine whether someone recently has been infected are critical to ensuring the best health outcomes during the current outbreak," said Richard Hatchett, MD, acting director for ASPR's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, in a statement.
"Identifying Zika cases more quickly helps people take steps to avoid additional transmission that much sooner, which helps protect pregnant women and others at risk of Zika infection," he added.
The funding agreement will support the diagnostic test development, design improvements, manufacturing preparations and clinical trials to support FDA clearance. BARDA is currently seeking the advancement of Zika diagnostic tests to increase availability and decrease patient costs.
HHS is supporting these efforts in the absence of congressional funding for Zika, according to the release. It's repurposed $374 million from other programs to fund Zika; as of today, BARDA has obligated $43.9 million of these funds to develop Zika testing, vaccines and diagnostics.
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Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com
