SpeeDx and Nepean Hospital Awarded Federal Funding for Viral Respiratory Biomarker Test
3.9.2020 06:34:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
SpeeDx Pty. Ltd., a developer of innovative molecular diagnostic solutions, in partnership with researchers from Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District’s (NBMLHD) Nepean Hospital Intensive Care Unit were awarded funding through the MTPConnect Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program. Funds will support the commercialisation of a respiratory virus host response test – a rapid-response assay to enhance current COVID-19 management activities and future viral pandemic preparedness.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200902005970/en/
Utilising newly patented InSignia(TM) technology that enhances the measurement of gene expression, the test will be a rapid, high-throughput tool to support risk-based stratification of patients presenting with respiratory viral illness, including COVID-19. (photo: Sara Eshleman/Wikimedia Commons)
SpeeDx are adapting the NBMLHD laboratory developed test that targets a key genetic marker that is uniquely expressed in response to respiratory virus infection, with levels of the marker correlated with disease progression.1,2 Utilising newly patented In SigniaTM technology that enhances the measurement of gene expression, the commercial test will be a rapid, high-throughput tool to support risk-based stratification of patients presenting with respiratory viral illness, including COVID-19.
“The MTPConnect BTB funding will be instrumental in advancing our commercialisation process and supporting the tight timelines we are setting in order to bring this important product to market” said Colin Denver, SpeeDx CEO.
Delivered by MTPConnect, the Australian Government's BTB program is a $22.3 million MRFF initiative that provides up to $1 million in matched funding to nurture the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to proof of concept to turn innovative medical ideas into reality.
About SpeeDx
Founded in 2009, SpeeDx is an Australian-based private company with subsidiary offices in Austin and London, and distributors across Europe. SpeeDx specializes in molecular diagnostic solutions that go beyond simple detection to offer comprehensive information for improved patient management. Innovative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology has driven market-leading multiplex detection and priming strategies. Product portfolios focus on multiplex diagnostics for sexually transmitted infection (STI), antibiotic resistance markers, and respiratory disease. For more information on SpeeDx please see: https://plexpcr.com
About Nepean and Blue Mountains Local Health District
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District is well placed to draw on over 100 years of continuously caring for the community, conducting research and delivering innovation. The Nepean Hospital Intensive Care Unit is part of NBMLHD’s 5,700-strong staff. Being on the frontline of health means NBMLHD has a focus on practical solutions that deliver maximum impact to the health and wellbeing of patients and their families.
References
- Tang BM et al. Eur Respir J. 2017 Jun 15;49(6):1602098.
- https://www.smh.com.au/national/covid-19-blood-test-to-predict-which-patients-will-need-the-most-care-20200406-p54hja.html
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/20200902005970/en/
Contact information
SpeeDx
Australia, New Zealand and Europe
Madeline O’Donoghue - SpeeDx
+61 406 582 808
United States
Rick Roose - RCI Healthcare Public Relations
+1 415 202 4445
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
Lattice and NXP Deliver Flexible, Secure Computing Solution for the Industrial Edge10.11.2026 23:00:00 EET | Press release
Lattice Semiconductor (NASDAQ: LSCC), the low power programmable and platform firmware leader, today announced the Lattice NXP PCIe® Companion solution, jointly enabled and promoted with NXP® Semiconductors. Pairing NXP’s i.MX 95 applications processor with Lattice Nexus™-based FPGAs over PCIe, the solution addresses the real-time connectivity, deterministic I/O, and security challenges in industrial automation, robotics, and intelligent edge applications. The joint solution is available in Lattice CertusPro™-NX or Lattice Certus™-NX configurations as companion chips to NXP i.MX 95 SoC compute processors, deepening a long-standing collaboration between Lattice and NXP spanning industrial, data center, and networking applications. The Lattice FPGA adds low latency, deterministic I/O alongside the NXP applications processor, delivering combined capabilities across real-time processing, AI, and custom I/O to help customers modernize aging designs for new interface standards. It supports e
FDA Approves PIMJETMI ® (pimicotinib) for Patients with Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor10.11.2026 20:14:00 EET | Press release
Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PIMJETMI® (pimicotinib), a once-daily oral colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor, as a systemic treatment for adults with symptomatic tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) for which surgical resection may cause worsening functional limitation or severe morbidity. “People living with TGCT have long faced difficult treatment decisions as they navigate a disease that can significantly affect their daily lives including their mobility,” said Danny Bar-Zohar, CEO Healthcare and Member of the Executive Board for the Healthcare business of Merck. “Translating scientific innovation into clinically meaningful advances for people living with rare tumors is a strategic imperative for our company, as we continue our commitment to addressing significant unmet needs. With the approval of PIMJETMI in the U.S., we strengthen our leadership position and growing
Smartsheet Integrates With Claude Sheets, Making It Easy to Start Projects in Claude and Launch Workflows Across Teams with Smartsheet10.11.2026 19:57:00 EET | Press release
Smartsheet, the AI-powered enterprise work management platform, today announced a new integration with Claude Sheets, the new spreadsheet artifact in Claude from Anthropic, now in beta. With the new Send to Smartsheet feature, people who build a tracker or plan in Claude can move it into Smartsheet in a few clicks. There they can put it to work with their team, connected to the plans, projects, people and systems their organization already runs on. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110763156/en/ With the new Send to Smartsheet feature, people who build a tracker or plan in Claude can move it into Smartsheet in a few clicks. More and more work now begins in a conversation with Claude, and the Smartsheet MCP connector for Claude puts the entire power of the Smartsheet platform into play for users. Now with Claude Sheets, a person can think through a launch plan, a project tracker or a budget, and shape with the
InterSystems Joins Google Cloud as Launch Partner for Gemini for Healthcare10.11.2026 19:00:00 EET | Press release
InterSystems, a creative data technology provider powering more than one billion health records globally, today announced that it will serve as a launch partner for Google Cloud’s Gemini for healthcare. Through the collaboration, Gemini for healthcare will connect to the InterSystems IRIS FHIR Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, enabling healthcare organizations to give AI assistants and agents governed access to FHIR data. The integration will bring together Google Cloud’s Gemini capabilities and the standards-based data access provided by InterSystems IRIS FHIR MCP. InterSystems FHIR MCP serves the open Model Context Protocol directly from a FHIR endpoint, allowing MCP-enabled clients to discover and use FHIR tools for searching, reading, creating, updating, and managing healthcare data. “Healthcare organizations are looking for practical ways to apply AI to their data without compromising security, governance, or interoperability,” said Don Woodlock, president of InterSystems. “By
Coherent Solutions Launches AKTIV, a Dedicated Fitness and Wellness Technology Business Unit10.11.2026 17:34:00 EET | Press release
Coherent Solutions officially launches AKTIV, a dedicated business unit focused exclusively on fitness and wellness technology. AKTIV brings together over 15 years of fitness industry experience, dedicated leadership, and global engineering capabilities to help fitness and wellness operators and equipment manufacturers compete through technology. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110242555/en/ Coherent Solutions officially launches AKTIV “We know the fitness and wellness industry and the challenges operators and manufacturers face. With AKTIV, we spend less time defining what needs to be built and more time delivering solutions that improve operations, member experiences, and business performance,” said Vadim Bartlov, Managing Director of AKTIV. AKTIV builds on Coherent Solutions' established work with leading fitness companies, including Life Time, Planet Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Orangetheory, and BowFlex,
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