To support increasing demand globally for COVID-19 testing, BioDot has compressed production times for most new lateral flow-dispensing platforms from months to weeks. Each platform, or “work cell,” which dispenses highly precise volumes of specialized reagents for detecting COVID-19 antibodies, can enable production of one million point-of-care tests per week.
BioDot is operating seven days a week to meet demand from global diagnostics manufacturers, including contract development manufacturing organizations. Worldwide, more than 50 companies are producing or developing COVID-19 antibody tests using BioDot technology.
“No company or government could have prepared for the mobilization required for this pandemic, but our employees and supply chain partners rose quickly to meet the challenge,” said Anthony V. Lemmo, Ph.D., BioDot CEO. “We’re honored to join hundreds of companies up and down the supply chain for diagnostics, therapies and vaccines who are pushing the limits of what’s possible to stem the spread of the virus.”
Lateral flow tests for COVID-19 can detect virus antibodies in blood (IgG, IgM or both). A patient’s blood sample is placed onto a pad on the test device, onto which a BioDot work cell has previously dispensed a specific sequence of reagents and controls. While clinicians wait, roughly 15 minutes, antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the sample will attach to test lines and present a positive or negative result visually or through a reader.
BioDot’s automated dispensing platforms are used by diagnostics manufacturers to produce high-quality COVID-19 tests rapidly and at a scale, and these companies are responsible for regulatory approvals and distribution to the point of care.
