Mawi iSWAB Microbiome-EL Enables Prime Discoveries’ Development of Rapid Extraction-Less COVID Diagnostic Assay
25.4.2022 16:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Mawi DNA Technologies (Mawi), a biotechnology company focusing on the development of innovative technologies for biosampling, announces that Prime Discoveries has successfully developed CovidDetect™, a rapid isothermal amplification diagnostic assay for detecting SARS-CoV-2. Without the need for RNA extraction and purification, the sample result occurs in less than 30 minutes. The assay uses Mawi’s new iSWAB Microbiome-EL (Extraction-Less) sample collection technology. This allows RNA release from the sample and maintains stability, protecting it from degradation and allowing room temperature storage and transport.
Prime Discoveries recently received CE IVD marking for CovidDetect™ and plans to pursue FDA 510K approval soon. Clinical results from Prime CovidDetect™ has been peer reviewed and recently published in PLOS ONE under “A Rapid, Specific, Extraction-Less, and Cost-Effective RT-LAMP Test for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Clinical Specimens.” The CE marking allows deployment of a solution to countries in Africa and Asia where rapid, inexpensive diagnostics for various infections with minimal technical expertise and equipment infrastructure is highly required.
Prime CovidDetect™ leverages Mawi’s unique iSWAB Microbiome-EL sample collection buffer with Prime Discoveries’ patented Loop AMPlification (LAMP) technology. This allows isothermal nucleic acid amplification removing the need for expensive thermal cycling equipment required for PCR. The Extraction-Less protocol bypasses the expensive and complex nucleic acid extraction and purification step, saving 60-90 minutes of sample processing time needed for PCR.
Arun Manoharan, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer at Prime Discoveries, said, “The COVID pandemic has shown that there is a big need for rapid diagnostic assays. Prime Discoveries aims to build a portfolio of solutions which can provide results in under 45 minutes with minimal laboratory, reagent and technical skill requirements. This is ideal for point of care testing in rural neighborhoods, mobile testing, border points of entry and clinical locations with minimal infrastructure. Our work with COVID has shown stable performance of the Mawi iSWAB Microbiome-EL for hundreds of clinical samples with similar or superior performance to RT-PCR solutions. Samples have been stable for more than two weeks with minimal RNA degradation along with high compatibility with our isothermal nucleic acid amplification techniques.” He added, “Our partnership with Mawi enables Prime Discoveries to develop room temperature sampling with Extraction-Less capabilities for our rapid diagnostic solutions in many areas. These include influenza, chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomonas, HBV, HCV, HPV, TB, herpes, syphilis, etc. We are excited to partner with Mawi for future products empowering customers to test thousands of patients rapidly for various infections including respiratory, gastrointestinal, sexually transmitted pathogens and those with anti-microbial resistance.”
About Prime Discoveries
Prime Discoveries develops rapid, novel diagnostics for emerging pathogen infections with a focus on cost effective, massively scalable and easily automatable assays. Founded in NYC in 2017, Prime’s scientists have extensive backgrounds in microbiology, computational biology, lab automation and AI from Genentech, Cooper Genomics, Recombine, Phosphorus, and NYU. Prime is advised by leading experts in the fields of genomics and public health including Dr. George Church and New York University. Prime is supported by academic institutions, venture capital firms and angel investors including New York University, Charles Zegar (Bloomberg), Esther Dyson (23 & Me), BoxGroup, Akron Fusion Ventures, Beresford Ventures, Cannonball Capital, Liquid 2 Ventures, Francois Nader (Moderna, Acceleron, Shire), Unshackled Ventures, Doberman Forward, and others. For more information, visit www.primediscoveries.com.
About Mawi DNA Technologies
Mawi DNA Technologies, founded in 2013, has developed and commercialized the iSWAB technology, an innovative system for collection of biosamples. Mawi’s mission is to uphold sample integrity from anywhere in the world at room temperature, enabling true sample diversity across any geography or population segment. At Mawi, The Future of Biosampling is Here™. For more information, visit http://www.mawidna.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220425005323/en/
Contact information
Investors:
Jerome David, VP of Sales and Marketing
510-256-5186, j.david@mawidna.com
Media Contact:
Susan Tellem, APR, RN, BSN
310-313-3444, susan@tellemgrodypr.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Riskified Study Finds Consumers Aren’t Ready to Hand Over Control as AI Transforms Shopping, with Over Half Afraid of Online Fraud27.4.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Riskified (NYSE: RSKD), a global leader in ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence, today released the Q1 2026 edition of its Agentic Commerce Pulse, a quarterly research series tracking agentic commerce risks and consumer engagement. Following Riskified’s inaugural Q4 2025 survey, which first highlighted the rapid emergence of agent-driven commerce, the latest findings reveal a more complex reality: while AI adoption remains strong, consumer trust is not keeping pace. A widening gap is emerging between how shoppers use AI and how much control they are willing to give it. The survey, conducted among consumers across the United States and the United Kingdom, shows that AI is now firmly embedded in product discovery and decision-making. However, compared to Riskified’s agentic commerce pulse survey in Q4 2025, consumer sentiment has shifted, with growing concerns around fraud, security, and accountability slowing the path to fully autonomous, agent-driven transactions. Key findings from th
Nine in 10 Expect Cross-Border M&A Surge, But 71% of Dealmakers Have Already Changed Course on Deals27.4.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Cross-border M&A is set for a strong resurgence, with nine in 10 senior dealmakers expecting activity to increase over the next 12 to 24 months, according to new research from CSC, the leading provider of business administration and compliance solutions. However, despite this renewed momentum, execution risk is rising, with regulatory scrutiny and operational challenges making it harder to get deals over the line. CSC¹ surveyed 200 director level and above global dealmakers across private equity, corporate, legal, and advisory roles who have worked on cross-border transactions in the past two years. The report, The New Reality of Cross-Border M&A: More Deals, More Friction, explores how firms are navigating an increasingly complex global deal environment. The findings highlight a growing disconnect between ambition and execution. Cross-border transactions are expected to form a significant portion of deal pipelines, with 47% of respondents expecting them to account for between 26% and
Mundipharma announces positive topline results from Phase III ReSPECT trial assessing ▼ REZZAYO ® (rezafungin) for the prophylaxis of invasive fungal diseases in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients27.4.2026 14:43:00 EEST | Press release
Mundipharma today announced positive Phase III topline results from the global ReSPECT clinical trial evaluating REZZAYO® (rezafungin acetate) for prophylaxis of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in adult patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The ReSPECT Phase III trial, one of the largest antifungal, multicentre, randomised, double-blind studies evaluated the efficacy and safety of once weekly rezafungin compared with a SAR for the prophylaxis of IFDs, including infections caused by Candida, Aspergillus, and Pneumocystis, in adults undergoing allogeneic HSCT. Patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT face prolonged periods of immunosuppression and routinely require extended antifungal prophylaxis,1 representing a setting where differentiated dosing, improved side effect profile, and reduced DDI is beneficial, and comparable efficacy is expected. The ReSPECT study met its primary endpoint for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines
tesa Selects Kinaxis as the Digital Backbone for Global Integrated Business Planning Transformation27.4.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
Kinaxis® (TSX: KXS), a global leader in end‑to‑end supply chain orchestration, today announced that tesa SE, a global manufacturer of adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions, has selected the Kinaxis Maestro™ platform as a core enabler of its global, multi‑year supply chain and integrated business planning (IBP) transformation. Following an extensive evaluation, tesa selected Kinaxis to support its evolution from regionally fragmented planning practices toward a centrally governed, globally orchestrated IBP operatingmodel. Kinaxis will support tesa in improving enterprise-wide transparency, strengthening resilience, and enabling faster, more informed decision making across an increasingly complex and volatile global supply chain network. With 130 years of innovation, tesa is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of adhesive tapes and self-adhesive product solutions. Operating across six global regions and serving both complex industrial and fast-moving consumer markets, t
vVARDIS Announces Investment from Apollo —Achieves Unicorn Status27.4.2026 14:00:00 EEST | Press release
vVARDIS Holding AG (“vVARDIS”), a high-growth dental medtech company pioneering non-invasive cavity treatment, today announced a strategic minority investment from Apollo-managed funds (“Apollo Funds”). The investment will support vVARDIS’ next phase of global growth and commercial expansion, including the continued rollout of its Curodont™ suite of products. The investment establishes vVARDIS as one of Europe’s few privately owned, billion-dollar-plus, healthcare companies. vVARDIS’ founders and co-CEOs, Drs. Haley and Goly Abivardi, will retain a substantial majority shareholding in the company. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260415938477/en/ Photo credit: Jos Schmid, Photographer vVARDIS is redefining the treatment of cavities through its Curodont™ technology, the first and only commercially available non-invasive peptide-containing formulations clinically proven to treat tooth decay. Curodont™ supports en
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom