Quidel is developing a point-of-care diagnostic for respiratory infections using $635K in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The funding will support the development of a point-of-care diagnostic assay that tests for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus. The respiratory virus panel would run on Quidel's Sofia 2 flagship instrument.
Sofia 2 is Quidel's next-generation version of its Sofia instrumented system. It uses the original Sofia fluorescent chemistry design while improving upon the graphical user interface and optics system to provide an accurate, objective, and automated result in 15 minutes, the firm said.
The BARDA funding began on May 29 and will run through April 2021. The goal of the funding is to achieve an emergency use authorization for the test by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within the funding period, Quidel said.