One of the core metrics of accuracy for a COVID-19 test is what’s known as the “limit of detection.” This refers to the lower limit of how many viral copies must be present in a given quantity of a sample in order for the test to detect the presence of COVID-19. (The lower the limit of detection, the more sensitive and therefore better the test.) On November 25th, a third-party lab verified that Aptavid At Home™ (rapid home-use COVID-19 test kit that is in development has reached a limit of detection of 100,000 viral copies per milliliter. This beats the…

Vela Diagnostics is a New Jersey-based company that has created a Covid-19 testing system based on the “gold standard” of PCR amplification. Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, Vela Diagnostics had established itself as a worldwide supplier of integrated life sciences and diagnostic solutions. The company had already been specializing in PCR technology and Nex-Generation Sequencing. Their philosophy is to focus on easy-to-use, fast, accurate, and cost-effective patient testing solutions.  Vela’s ViroKey™ SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Test v2.0 tests for Covid-19 by analyzing nasal and oral swab samples. This approach uses an automated workflow system using the Sentosa™ SX101 instrument, the Sentosa™…

PerkinElmer is a Massachusetts-based medical company that is currently working on a number of Covid-19 solutions, including testing, therapeutics, and accelerated research.  PerkinElmer is a Massachusetts-based medical company that has developed a number of standardized solutions for the isolation and detection of Covid-19. In addition to testing, PerkinElmer is involved in accelerated virus research and therapeutic drug development. The company is more than 85 years old, and PerkinElmer was involved in the early development of things like atomic absorption spectrophotometers, aerial panoramic camera lenses, and computer-aided chemistry.  Today, PerkinElmer is an industry leader in fields like electronic laboratory notebooks ELNs,…

Mammoth Biosciences is a San Francisco based company that specializes in CRISPR technology for Covid-19 testing, and has developed a fast, efficient, and automated turnkey workstation diagnostics approach.  Mammoth Biosciences is a San Francisco-based company that uses CRISPR technology to detect the presence of Covid-19. Founded by a Nobel Prize winner, the company is “harnessing the diversity of nature to power the next generation of CRISPR products.” Using a proprietary discovery platform, Mammoth Biosciences can identify novel Cas proteins. Their Covid-19 testing approach is fast, automated, and efficient. Based around a turkey workstation, Mammoth’s CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 molecular assay uses automated…

With strong connections to Harvard and MIT, the Broad Institute provides clinics, nursing homes, and schools with reliable access to a reliable RT-PCR assay Covid-19 testing system.  Launched in 2004 by Harvard and MIT, the Broad Institute is a medical company that specializes in genomic technology, and they have created an RT-PCR assay Covid-19 testing system. This testing approach is targeted at hospitals, schools, and nursing homes. It is not intended for individual testing. The Broad Institute is already partnering with schools, nursing homes, and medical facilities across the municipality of Cambridge to deliver Covdid-19 testing services.  After the outbreak…

Quanterix is a Massachusetts company with an ultra-sensitive, versatile Covid-19 antigen test, and they are also the company behind the digital health solution Simoa.  Quanterix is a Massachusetts-based medical company that has developed a laboratory Covid-19 antigen test that uses an ultra-sensitive single-molecule assay to analyze a number of sample types, including nasal swabs, saliva, or finger-prick blood samples. Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, Quanterix released the digital health solution Simoa, which allows researchers to closely examine critical biomarkers of infectious diseases. The company focuses on early detection, better prognoses, and enhanced treatment methods. Quanterix’s technology has applications in…

Illumina is a San Diego-based company with a unique Next-Generation Sequencing approach that allows for widespread, fast, and accurate Covid-19 testing across the nation.  Illumina is a San Diego-based genomics company that has created a “MegaLab” for scaled-up, next-gen Covid-19 testing using genomic sequencing. To date, the company has received over $12 million in funding from the NIH. Originally founded as a startup, Illumina set out to transform human health and explore DNA at an entirely new scale. Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, Illumina was exploring concepts like the cause of cancer and genetic variations. The company’s key mission…