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
LMR by IFF Inaugurates New Experimental Field in Grasse28.5.2026 12:00:00 EEST | Press release
LMR Naturals by IFF—a global leader in natural ingredients for perfumery, cosmetics and flavors—today inaugurated its new experimental field, Domaine des Naturels LMR. The field is dedicated to advancing research in natural ingredients, preserving Grasse’s agricultural heritage and expanding education in naturals. The inauguration, attended by Grasse Mayor Jérôme Viaud, a long-standing supporter of the perfume industry, underscores IFF and LMR’s ongoing commitment to the region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260527694524/en/ At Domaine des Naturels LMR, R&D experts research new natural species, variety breeding, cultivation methods and production techniques. “This inauguration reflects over two decades of continuous investment in Grasse and in naturals,” said Ana Paula Mendonça, president, Scent, IFF. “With Domaine des Naturels LMR, we are bringing together innovation, preservation and knowledge sharing to s
Reply Expands Prebuilt AI Apps With New Production-Ready Applications to Accelerate Enterprise AI Adoption28.5.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Reply[EXM, STAR: REY] today released a new set of Prebuilt AI Apps: ready-to-use agentic applications designed to drive efficiency and business growth by accelerating the integration of AI into enterprise processes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528283268/en/ Prebuilt AI Apps are ready-to-use agentic applications designed to accelerate the integration of AI into enterprise processes, driving efficiency and supporting business growth. In developing the Prebuilt AI Apps, Reply has identified key areas within enterprise processes where AI can create tangible operational value and turned them intoreusable assets, combining deep process knowledge, curated datasets, domain ontologies and reusable agentic flows in robust, secure and production-ready solutions. Each application can be further customised and extended through integration with enterprise systems, internal data and knowledge bases, while maintaining
Klarna Partners With Arrive for Parking in 15 Markets28.5.2026 10:56:00 EEST | Press release
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, has partnered with Arrive, a leading global mobility platform, to bring seamless and flexible payment options to millions of consumers across 15 markets. Through the partnership, drivers will be able to pay for parking using Klarna’s Pay in Full, which will be available directly in Arrive’s EasyPark app, ensuring payments can be made instantly. This provides consumers with more flexibility and control over their everyday spending, and builds on Klarna's growing presence in everyday spending and saving, where consumers increasingly use Klarna for recurring, low-friction purchases alongside savings products like Klarna Balance. Arrive, formerly EasyPark Group, operates one of the world’s largest digital parking networks, facilitating high frequency payments across millions of spots in more than 20,000 cities and 90 countries. By providing the digital infrastructure that helps individuals and decision-makers make smarter urba
Navan Unlocks Savings for Travelers with First SAS NDC Direct Connect28.5.2026 10:01:00 EEST | Press release
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, today announced a New Distribution Capability (NDC) integration with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). By allowing the airline to share its fares, availability, and offers directly in real time, the integration provides an expanded portfolio of SAS fares and services to Navan customers. This makes Navan the first Travel Management Company (TMC) to access SAS NDC content via a direct connection, leveraging version 21.3 of the NDC API. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528812727/en/ Direct connection gives travelers access to lower fares and streamlined post-booking services “Our Modern Airline Retailing journey is centered on delivering more relevant offers, greater transparency, and better value for travelers,” said Edward Fotheringham, VP Sales & Distribution at SAS. “By connecting directly with Navan via our NDC channel, we’re expa
Navan Strengthens European Train Offering with Swedish Rail Integration28.5.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, today announced the addition of more than 20 Swedish rail carriers to its platform, including Sweden’s largest operators, SJ and VR. Powered by SilverRail's global rail distribution platform, the API integration unlocks access for Navan customers to domestic rail routes in Sweden, as well as many popular cross-border routes in the region, such as between Stockholm and Copenhagen. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528696890/en/ Through a direct connection with SilverRail, Navan adds more than 20 Swedish rail carriers to its long list of European rail options “We’re seeing strong momentum in Sweden,” says Michael Riegel, Chief Customer Officer at Navan. “It’s a unique economy where you have this intersection of industrial companies, in manufacturing, maritime, and automotive, colliding with a world-class tech and AI scene. Our gro
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