PREMISE Program, Led by NIAID, Ensures U.S. and Global Readiness for Future Pandemics
National Institutes of Health (NIH) laboratories have deployed Picodya‘s B-Matrix™ technology, the first hybrid in vitro diagnostics (IVD) solution for multiplexed point-of-care testing (xPOCT). This deployment may enable large-scale global serologic surveillance with real-time monitoring of the immune status of human populations and detection of viral outbreaks, which could further the PREMISE goal of establishing a preemptive repository of candidate immunobiological countermeasures.
Picodya’s B-Matrix™ platform is the first xPOCT IVD solution that performs both molecular and immunoassays from many body fluids on a singleplatform. The hybrid and scalable technology aims to deliver lab-comparable test results in a single patient encounter, considerably shortening the diagnostic timeline.
“With our knowledge of the devastating impact of Covid-19 on global health and following years of research collaboration with the NIH for crisis preparedness, we are proud to proceed with the next phase of this important partnership,” said Tzvika Barkai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Picodya. “We remain dedicated to enabling timely, precise and comprehensive disease diagnosis capabilities to optimize potential outcomes. We plan to introduce the B-Matrix solution to additional research labs across the US, followed by the broader clinical market.”
The NIH and its National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) established PREMISE (Pandemic REsponse REpository through Microbial and Immune Surveillance and Epidemiology) in 2021 to prepare for pandemic outbreaks. PREMISE partnered with Picodya during initial phases of development to install the B-Matrix™ technology at NIAID Vaccine Research Center’s (VRC) laboratories to detect reactivity to multiple potential pandemic threats. The program was presented by Daniel Douek, MD, Ph.D., to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in September 2021.
“Over the past two years, our team has established a global network of partner sites to meet the PREMISE objective of increasing immunologic monitoring of targeted human populations across the globe,” said Dr. Daniel Douek, Chief, Human Immunology Section at NIH Vaccine Research Center; Director, PREMISE pandemic preparedness program and Picodya advisor. “We appreciate the significant benefits the B-Matrix™ platform could bring to the PREMISE program, enabling multiplex testing at scale with high accuracy. The platform is easy to operate and uses low sample volume, which therefore has the potential to accelerate effective discovery of new products for vaccine design, early development and clinical product testing.”
Picodya conducted a feasibility analysis for the B-Matrix platform showing the system is suitable for performing dozens of immunoassays and molecular tests, including Covid-19, influenza, HBV, EBV, prostate cancer and cardiologic markers. The B-Matrix diagnostic system is currently being adopted by global research facilities to help streamline timelines and reduce costs. The company has initiated its regulatory pathway and following approval is expected to be available for use in a variety of healthcare settings and large-scale venues.