FLC | NIH-funded CRISPR-based COVID-19 test kit collaboration expands

NIH-funded CRISPR-based COVID-19 test kit collaboration expands

February 2, 2021

Mammoth Biosciences, Inc. on January 28 announced a co-marketing agreement with Agilent Technologies to support the anticipated launch of a complete CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic solution comprising Agilent’s Bravo automation workstation and Mammoth Biosciences’ DETECTR BOOST assay.

This project is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program and has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.

Together, the DETECTR BOOST SARS-CoV-2 Kit and Agilent automated liquid handling system would provide a complete workflow for high-throughput COVID-19 testing – a turnkey, sample-to-answer solution for commercial laboratories that enables a multi-fold increase in testing capacity compared to most currently available solutions, while ensuring highly accurate and sensitive results required for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing. The assay and automation solution will leverage Agilent’s Bravo Liquid Handling System, including the Bravo BenchCel DB Workstation and BioTek plate readers, predicted to deliver a workflow capable of performing more than 4,000 COVID-19 tests per day.

“Mammoth’s mission is to address challenges across healthcare by harnessing the full potential of the CRISPR platform to read and write the code of life,“ said Trevor Martin, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Mammoth Biosciences. “This partnership will help address the need for more widespread testing options for COVID-19, helping to fill the gap in the market as testing labs run into supply issues or reach capacity.”

”A highly-automated workstation for SARS-CoV-2 testing provides the capacity needed to bring routine, robust testing to the broader market,” said David Edwards, associate vice president for marketing in the Agilent mass spectrometry division. “By partnering with Mammoth Biosciences, we will be able to provide a simplified workflow that addresses the specific needs of high-throughput clinical testing laboratories. Agilent is honored to contribute in the fight to curtail the impact of COVID-19 alongside the global scientific community.”

With its recent acquisition of BioTek, Agilent is uniquely positioned to support the multi-discipline, multi-factorial efforts required to make an impact in addressing complex human diseases. Whether through the development of tests and instruments or as a desired partner for co-development efforts, Agilent continues to leverage its solutions and expertise to drive progress in research, test development, community surveillance, and vaccine and drug development.

Individuals or CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) laboratories interested in learning more about the Mammoth high-throughput CRISPR-based DETECTR BOOSTTM SARS CoV-2 platform, which is expected to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization soon, can contact Mammoth directly at [email protected] or go to mammoth.bio/covid.