Mawi iSWAB Microbiome-EL Enables Prime Discoveries’ Development of Rapid Extraction-Less COVID Diagnostic Assay
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
Daiichi Sankyo Appoints New Leadership at the Daiichi Sankyo Translational Research Center Europe22.1.2026 08:30:00 EET | Press release
Daiichi Sankyo (TSE:4568) has appointed Veronika Rozehnal, Ph.D., to succeed Jürgen Müller, Ph.D., as the Head of the Translational Research Center Europe. Dr. Jürgen Müller will retire after nearly 30 years of research work at Daiichi Sankyo. Under his leadership, the Translational Research Center Europe, previously called the Tissue and Cell Research Center Munich, has grown from three to 40 researchers since it was founded in 1997 and has become an internationally recognized institution that plays a strategic role in the global innovation process of Daiichi Sankyo. Dr. Veronika Rozehnal joined Daiichi Sankyo in 2009 and has held various positions at the Translational Research Center Europe in addition to spending three years at the Daiichi Sankyo R&D Center in Tokyo. Dr. Rozehnal graduated from Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany with a Ph.D. degree in Clinical Pharmacology. “Jürgen Müller has made significant scientific contributions that have helped Daiichi Sankyo
I Squared Announces Launch of Radiant Energy Solutions22.1.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
I Squared Capital (“I Squared”), a leading global infrastructure investment manager, announced today the launch of Radiant Energy Solutions (“Radiant”), an investment from I Squared’s Middle East infrastructure strategy, which is focused on targeting transformational, mid-market investments in the region. Reflecting I Squared’s platform-building approach of starting with a core initial investment and scaling over time to build market-leading businesses, Radiant marks the firm’s entry into the Middle East distributed renewables market, providing decarbonization solutions to commercial and industrial customers. The investment for Radiant is the acquisition of FAS Renewables and its 100% owned subsidiary Zahra Energy, a Saudi Arabia–based distributed solar company with a secured and advanced portfolio of over 100MWp of distributed solar projects with established customers and long-term contracted solar power purchase agreements. These include Cenomi Centers, an owner, operator, and develo
IMCAS 2026: Galderma Showcases the Latest Scientific Advances Behind the Industry’s Broadest Injectable Aesthetics Portfolio22.1.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Galderma (SIX: GALD) will present ten posters with the latest updates from across its broad aesthetic portfolio spanning regenerative biostimulation, HA and neuromodulator treatments at the International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS) 2026 World Congress in Paris, France, from January 29-31, 2026. The company will also showcase its leadership in community education through a number of events including two symposia, a live anatomy workshop, multiple masterclasses and meet-the-expert sessions, and a booth that will delve into the science behind its innovations. “With ten posters spanning all key aesthetic treatment modalities and areas across the face and body, our data at IMCAS truly showcases the breadth and versatility of our injectable aesthetics portfolio and how we continue to drive innovation with our trusted products. In tandem with our first-class Galderma Aesthetic Injector Network (GAIN) educational activities, conducted in partnership with renowned experts, we are equ
Azafaros Announces Key Scientific Oral and Poster Presentations on Nizubaglustat Accepted for WORLD Symposium™ 202622.1.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Azafaros, a company building a portfolio to become a leader in lysosomal storage disorders with the goal of addressing neurological symptoms, today announced that its lead asset, nizubaglustat, will feature in five scientific presentations accepted at the WORLDSymposium™ 2026, the leading global conference on lysosomal diseases, taking place in San Diego, California, USA between February 2-6. The company’s conference activities include: Oral Presentations (including Poster numbers 134 and 29-C) Long-term data from a Phase II study with oral nizubaglustat for late-infantile/juvenile GM2 and Niemann-Pick Type C diseases (RAINBOW) on February 5, presenting preliminary clinical efficacy and safety data. The data underscore nizubaglustat’s potential as a therapeutic option, reinforcing Azafaros’ commitment to addressing critical unmet needs in lysosomal storage disorders. Nizubaglustat reinstates pro-neuronal transcriptional programs in human CLN3 retinal organoidson February 6 (Rapid Fire
WEF26: Saudi Arabia Leads New Global Push to Protect Coral Reefs, Unlock AI Potential22.1.2026 06:52:00 EET | Press release
The Saudi delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 today observed a series of announcements aimed at addressing urgent global challenges. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121465066/en/ Her Royal Highness Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America, announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting that Saudi Arabia will host the first Global Coral Reef Summit in 2026 (Photo: AETOSWire) Her Royal Highness Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America, announced that Saudi Arabia will host the first Global Coral Reef Summit in 2026, bringing together global leaders, scientists, and investors to drive solutions for the protection and recovery of coral reef ecosystems. The summit will address key challenges and policy and regulatory gaps, develop science-based sol
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