Today, an agreement was announced between diagnostic company Alveo Technologies and the CDC seeks to have the former develop a point of need molecular testing platform for early detection of avian influenza (H5) and seasonal influenza viruses for humans.
“It is gratifying to be selected and enter this agreement to accelerate the development of our point of need diagnostic solutions for H5,” said Alveo CEO Shaun Holt in a statement.
Back in the summer, the federal agency issued an open call for solutions to meet CDC’s diagnostic test development needs for avian influenza. In the United States this year, the virus has been confirmed in a handful of human cases and has been much more widespread in animals including birds, cattle, and poultry. There are public health concerns and the confirmed cases heightens the need to support advanced preparedness in the event human-to-human transmission occurs.
According to CDC’s open call to industry, “currently, the only public health laboratories in the U.S. equipped to test for this virus are CDC and state and jurisdictional public health laboratories with access to the CDC a(H5) assay. This poses a significant problem as these laboratories may not have the capacity to handle a large number of cases in the event of an H5 epidemic or pandemic. This could result in delays in diagnosing and treating individuals, leading to the further spread of the virus,” CDC stated.
Alveo is an Alameda, Calif-based company, which has developed a portable, easy-to-use molecular detection platform that utilizes isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology (NAAT) and provides fast and qualitative results at the point of need. As a multiplexed platform, the device can detect and differentiate between influenza A, B, and A/H5, from a single sample.
What You Need to Know
Alveo Technologies has been selected by the CDC to develop a point-of-need molecular testing platform specifically designed for early detection of avian influenza (H5) and seasonal influenza viruses in humans. This initiative aims to bolster public health preparedness against potential outbreaks.
The CDC highlighted the need to decentralize influenza testing, as only specific US laboratories currently have the capacity to test for H5 influenza.
Alveo’s device provides point-of-care results but also supports real-time data transmission via a secure cloud platform.
Additionally, the platform can automatically deliver accurate, real-time results via a secure cloud-based portal for analysis and reporting. Alveo’s product can facilitate early detection and intervention, enhance public health surveillance, and improve the overall response to seasonal influenza and potential avian influenza A/H5 outbreaks. By decentralizing testing capabilities, Alveo will increase access to critical diagnostics, and reduce the burden on centralized laboratories.
Next month, Alveo will begin shipping a molecular test for all relevant subtypes of avian influenza (Type A, subtypes H5, H7, H9) in poultry. The CDC agreement and development goals support a natural expansion of Alveo’s product line given its synergies with assays already developed.
“We are proud to work with CDC to be a part of a national preparedness effort by enabling timely detection and response where it matters most—at the front lines of care,” Holt said.
To learn more about avian influenza and its impact, read our special report, From Poultry to Public Health: Understanding the H5N1 Threat.
