Sensible Diagnostics, Inc. announces NIH RADx® award of ~$1 million

SAN DIMAS, Calif., Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sensible Diagnostics, Inc., a diagnostics company that has developed a real-time PCR point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platform which yields lab-grade results in approximately 10 minutes, has announced it has been selected by the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx^®) Tech program launched by the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The program aims to speed innovation in the development, commercialization and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing.

The first phase of the initiative will provide Sensible with up to $1M in non-dilutive milestone-based funding disbursed over the next 3-4 months to speed up the development of a multiplexed PCR respiratory viral panel for use at point-of-care. If Sensible successfully completes its deliverables in the first phase, Sensible will be able to request a larger second round of non-dilutive funding under the same program. Sensible's technology was previously developed by Curative Inc., one of the country's largest COVID-19 testing providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The engineers and scientists who developed the platform were the same people who ran over 200,000 COVID-19 tests per day during the height of the pandemic. The company says that puts it in a unique position to know the kind of accuracy, speed, and cost required by busy clinics and doctors' offices in the US and around the world. 

"We are proud and excited to have been selected for such a prestigious program," said Ernest Templin, CEO of Sensible. "As the only point-of-care system that was designed by people who have actually run point-of-care tests in the field, these funds will be put to use to further our mission of developing and commercializing one of the world's most affordable, accessible, and accurate point-of-care PCR testing platforms." 

Sensible is aiming to give providers something that has been missing in point-of-care testing; a PCR test that can be performed in 10 to 15 minutes at a cost that is on par or less than not only the current molecular tests on the market, but also professional CLIA-waived antigen tests. With two tests currently in development, the RADx Tech program-funded panel that includes influenza A, influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2, and an independently funded test for group A strep, and plans to develop tests in the field of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HCV and HIV, and a panel for neonatal infectious disease screening, Sensible plans to be a one-stop solution for molecular POC testing.

CLIA-waived POC testing has been identified as crucial not only as a tool during a pandemic, but also in routine clinical and emergent care. Sensible intends to develop and manufacture a suite of infectious disease tests that will provide clinicians with a highly accurate PCR result in 10-15 minutes. Historically, this kind of speed has been relegated to less accurate and more error-prone "rapid" antigen tests. With Sensible's "molecular in a box," utilizing all required steps to run a molecular test inside a small CLIA-waived system, physician offices and urgent care clinics can get laboratory quality molecular results in the same or less time than less accurate antigen testing, with higher reimbursement, at less cost.

This project has been funded in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N92023D00001.

About Sensible Diagnostics
Sensible Diagnostics is a diagnostics company that has developed a real-time PCR point-of-care diagnostic platform which yields results in under 10 minutes. As the world's only true point-of-care system designed by providers for providers, accuracy, ease-of-use, and affordability have been at the center of its design from day one. With a full suite of multiplexed infectious disease tests in the pipeline, Sensible is poised to become the turnkey solution for providers looking for highly accurate PCR point-of-care tests at rapid antigen prices.  For more information, please visit www.sensibledx.com. 

Commercial and Partnering Contact:
Russ Peloquin
russ@sensibledx.com

Corporate Contact:
Chief Executive Officer                                                 
Ernest Templin                                                             
ernest@sensibledx.com

SOURCE Sensible Diagnostics