Co-Diagnostics Advances PCR Assay Development for Bundibugyo Virus
Co-Diagnostics announced that it has advanced the PCR assay development strategy for the Bundibugyo virus, or BDBV, currently causing an outbreak of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, and Uganda, with the support of CoSara Diagnostics, the Indian joint venture between Co-Dx and Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprises Limited, or ASE Group. The joint assay development strategy is expected to more rapidly address the needs of the international community if the current outbreak expands globally, or if localized governmental or non-governmental support is needed in the areas of DRC and Uganda. CoSara's regional manufacturing and operational capabilities may support rapid deployment initiatives in certain international markets, subject to applicable regulatory requirements. The proposed development program includes evaluation of both BDBV-specific and pan-Ebola assay configurations designed to detect multiple ebolavirus species. The Company is also evaluating workflow configurations intended to support point-of-care and decentralized testing environments for the Co-Dx PCR point-of-care platform.
