Marlboro firm wins contract to address Avian Flu
IQuum Inc. in Marlboro has been awarded a $3.8 million contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a rapid point-of-care diagnostics for avian influenza.
The award represents the first two of five phases of the total development and commercialization project originally announced by the CDC. The 12 month contract calls for IQuum to lead a team of molecular diagnostic and biotechnology experts in the development of nucleic acid tests based on the company's lab-in-a-tube technology to differentiate influenza A HFN1 from seasonal human influenza viruses.
Influenza A H5N1 has been reported in Southeast Asia, Africa and Western Europe. 153 deaths have resulted from the 258 reported cases, and no point-of-care tests currently exist that can distinguish the Avian flu from the seasonal influenza viruses.
Dr. Shuqi Chen, CEO of IQuum Inc., was appreciative of the award, and is looking forward to developing the company's Liat Analyzer for influenza detection. "Our Liat platform is ideally suited for such critical point-of-care applications and (we) look forward to providing the influenza detection tools to help safeguard our nation's pubic health."
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