附近上门

A new collaboration between a young startup and a health care giant may soon put handheld COVID-19 tests into the hands of consumers.

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San Francisco-based is leveraging its CRISPR-based DETECTR platform with ‘s Consumer Healthcare business unit, which has global reach and commercialization expertise, to develop an accurate, easy-to-use, fully disposable, rapid and handheld test that consumers and health care providers in clinics can use to detect active SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

鈥淚t shows that GSK is making a big bet on innovation,鈥� Mammoth鈥檚 co-founder and CEO told 附近上门 News.

How it works

Mammoth鈥檚 platform can identify and signal the presence of viral RNA strands obtained through a simple nasal swab, similar to today鈥檚 COVID-19 testing. What makes Mammoth’s test unique is that it can detect the viral RNA early, even if someone is asymptomatic, Martin said.

Mammoth Biosciences was founded in 2017 by CRISPR pioneer and principal founders Martin, and , to discover and develop CRISPR-based disease detection platforms. Since its inception, the company , according to 附近上门 data.

United Kingdom-based global health care company, GSK Consumer Healthcare, develops and markets products in the areas of pain relief, respiratory, digestive health, oral health, nutrition and skin health, amassing a portfolio that includes well-known brands such as Abreva, Excedrin, Sensodyne and Tums.

CRISPR is typically used as a gene editing tool, but Mammoth is using it more like a search engine, Martin said. Its DETECTR platform can be programmed to search for COVID-19 in a molecule and then show up in the test result, similar to how a pregnancy test provides a visual result within minutes, he added.

Martin said this new COVID-19 test will be disposable, easily read, deliver results in less than 20 minutes, and will not require a laboratory setting to be administered. This means the test could be done anywhere鈥攈omes, doctor鈥檚 offices, airports, points-of-entry or workplaces.

Next steps

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed, but following the development of a COVID-19 test, both companies will look at using the DETECTR technology platform to develop other types of diagnostics for consumer use, he said.

Mammoth and GSK Consumer Healthcare are working on the COVID-19 test with plans to submit the device for FDA Emergency Use Authorization review before the end of 2020. If approved, it would then be made available to U.S. health care facilities that diagnose or treat COVID-19, and eventually available over-the-counter to consumers, Martin said.

Meanwhile, GSK Consumer Healthcare CEO said in a written statement that the company was 鈥渆xcited鈥� to contribute its 鈥渃onsumer insights and commercial expertise鈥� to developing a test to detect active COVID-19.

鈥淲e are committed to helping our consumers stay healthy during this pandemic and believe access to quality and accurate testing is a critical need,鈥� McNamara said. 鈥淲e look forward to bringing the power of testing out of the lab and into people鈥檚 homes.鈥�

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