Hologic to contribute to H5N1 bird flu test development via agreement issued by CDC
Hologic, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop analyte specific reagents (ASRs) — the “active ingredients” of laboratory-developed tests used to identify specific diseases or conditions — that would aid in the detection of H5N1 bird flu.
To prepare for if the current outbreak worsens, Hologic will work with the CDC to develop reagents that may be used for H5N1 testing.
The contract will fund proof-of-concept development of ASRs — primers and probes, in this case — that could eventually be incorporated into laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) designed to detect H5N1. While Hologic does not currently intend to make these ASRs commercially available, the company may explore future commercialization should the need for rapid implementation of H5N1 testing arise.
The ASRs are being developed on the Panther Fusion system, a fully automated molecular testing platform that allows labs to quickly consolidate and run multiple assays for women's health, infectious disease and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) testing.
