Aptitude Medical Systems (Aptitude™) announced today that it has received an award up to $53.7 million from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funding supports the development of over-the-counter molecular diagnostics capable of delivering lab-quality results in 15-30 minutes while approaching the cost of antigen tests.
The funding will leverage advancements achieved by Aptitude's testing platform, Metrix™, through $19.6 million in funding to develop and validate at-home COVID and COVID/Flu tests and up to $34.1 million allocated for options to develop additional multiplex tests for other infectious disease threats. This BARDA award will support development of these products through FDA 510(k) clearance. The Metrix COVID-19 Test is the first product on the Metrix platform and received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA [https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-roundup-october-18-2022]. It will be closely followed by the Metrix COVID/Flu Test and software to integrate patient, providers, payers, and public health.