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
PUMA Reveals Its Most Powerful International Football Kit Lineup yet on the Streets of New York City20.3.2026 09:00:00 EET | Press release
Global sports company PUMA unveiled its new national team kits for 11 nations with a street-level event at Domino Square in New York City, that placed football, music, food, and culture at the center stage in a celebration of the game. Rather than launching in a stadium setting or in a cinematic brand film, PUMA chose to reveal the kits in play, worn first by local community players from each nation on the streets of New York. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260320641449/en/ Reinforcing its status as a leading force in football kits at this summer’s competition, PUMA unveiled jerseys for 11 nations, including the most prominent African partner federations of any brand in the tournament, in a community-first celebration of football, music, and culture in New York City. Four continents are united under 11 nations: Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, Paraguay, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, Switzerland, New Zealan
Galderma Publishes Invitation and Agenda for Its 2026 Annual General Meeting20.3.2026 07:55:00 EET | Press release
Galderma Group AG (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today published the invitation and agenda for its 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held virtually on April 22, 2026, at 3:00pm CEST. Dividend proposal The Board of Directors proposes a dividend of 0.35 CHF per registered share of Galderma following its record 2025 performance. If approved by shareholders, the dividend will be paid out of reserves from capital contributions and, in accordance with applicable tax regulations, will be free from Swiss withholding tax. Proposed elections to the Board of Directors of Galderma Group AG As previously announced, and in connection with L’Oréal’s increased investment in Galderma, the Board members representing the consortium led by EQT, Michael Bauer and Marcus Brennecke, will not stand for re-election and will step down from the Board at the conclusion of the 2026 AGM. Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Chief Innovation & Prospective Officer at L’Oréal, and Samuel d
Klarna Card reaches 5 million active customers19.3.2026 16:31:00 EET | Press release
Klarna, the global digital bank and payments provider, today announced that the Klarna Card has reached 5 million active customers globally, underscoring rapid adoption as consumers shift towards new forms of payment which provide more control over day-to-day money management. The card draws from the customer's own funds for everyday spending, with the option to spread the cost of a specific purchase, like a large appliance or a flight, when it makes sense to do so. The result is a card that offers genuine spending control without the long-term debt obligations that come with traditional credit cards. The card’s growth is reinforced by Klarna’s membership program. The program offers premium perks such as airport lounge access, travel insurance, and lifestyle subscriptions — without requiring users to take on debt, meet spending thresholds, or revolve balances. By separating everyday spending from rewards, Klarna is challenging the strings-attached model legacy banks have long relied on
Andersen Consulting Expands Technology Platform in France19.3.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Andersen Consulting expands its digital transformation offering through a Collaboration Agreement with Teolia Consulting, a French firm specializing in project and product management, cloud platform engineering, data transformation, and Atlassian suite integration and adoption. Founded in 2014, Teolia Consulting helps organizations achieve digital performance, from agile methodology to time-to-market solutions. The firm’s expertise is focused on delivering integrated strategies that align technology with organizational change. The firm works across industries including banking, insurance, fashion, and retail, empowering clients to strengthen resilience and accelerate digital maturity. “At Teolia Consulting, we believe that true transformation happens when technology and people evolve together,” said Lucienne Jacquet, managing partner of Teolia. “By collaborating with Andersen Consulting, we not only amplify our impact but also gain access to a worldwide organization of like-minded indi
Stonebranch Releases 2026 Global State of IT Automation Report, Revealing Orchestration as the Missing Link for AI Adoption and Trust19.3.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, today released its annual 2026 Global State of IT Automation Report, the company’s most comprehensive research study to date. Based on responses from 402 IT automation professionals spanning C-suite executives to individual contributors across North America, EMEA, Latin America, and APAC, the report provides a detailed, data-driven portrait of how enterprises are investing in, deploying, and deriving value from IT automation in 2026. “This year’s findings highlight an important shift in how organizations approach automation,” said Giuseppe Damiani, CEO of Stonebranch. “Organizations are now building automation as strategic infrastructure — a governed, scalable foundation that spans hybrid environments, operationalizes AI, and delivers automation-as-a-service to thousands of users across the enterprise. The companies that get orchestration right are not just running more efficient IT operations. They are
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