A Medical Device Daily

Corgenix Medical (Denver), a manufacturer of anti-phospholipid test kits, reported the establishment of a program to develop a rapid detection system for viral hemorrhagic fevers, a disease category recognized and classified for its risk as potential agents of bioterrorism.

Viral hemorrhagic fevers are included in the high-priority “Category A“ of biological diseases as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta). Along with anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox and tularemia, viruses causing hemorrhagic fevers have been identified as key targets in the effort to understand and combat potential agents of bioterrorism.

“This is a logical growth opportunity for Corgenix in a critical area that needs to be addressed on a national and international level,“ said Douglass Simpson, Corgenix president.

He added: “Through our strategic relationships with industry and academic scientists,“ he said, “we have access to some very promising viral technology that we believe will fit nicely with our existing delivery systems for testing and diagnosis.“

Simpson added: “With our collaborators, we expect to move through the research stage toward definitive diagnostic and detection systems, and have recently submitted a significant grant proposal to the National Institute of Health [Bethesda, Maryland] for additional funding for this program.“

Simpson said the company expects to present its program to the CDC, U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, among other government agencies and interested parties.

Corgenix was the first to market an FDA-cleared assay for anti-Cardiolipin.