Sherlock Biosciences on Tuesday announced the receipt of additional funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will enable it to further develop its CRISPR-based, instrument-free molecular diagnostic testing platform.
Sherlock said that it will use the funding to improve the specificity and sensitivity of its platform, which allows for the multiplexed detection of multiple infectious diseases from a single patient sample.
The firm said that it seeks to enable broader, low-cost testing in low- and middle-income countries that lack access to large, centralized testing facilities.
Sherlock has developed its CRISPR-based nucleic acid technology to detect DNA and RNA at the point of need.
“In addition to the development of chemistries for expanding our assay menu, the funding will support integration of all functions with a model system on a prototype device, a critical milestone to making these powerful diagnostic products accessible to people at the point of need,” Bryan Dechairo, president and CEO of Sherlock, said in a statement.
