A diagnostic tool for rapid COVID-19 testing developed by Hackensack (N.J.) Meridian Health's Center for Discovery and Innovation will now be available to other health systems through a licensing agreement announced March 24.
The innovation center completed development of the tool, which combines elements of CDC and World Health Organization diagnostics to accelerate the quarantine and treatment process, on March 12. Since then, the health system has been able to test about 90 patients per day in New Jersey, the second hardest-hit state as of March 24, with 2,844 confirmed cases as of 2:02 p.m. CDT.
"Our scientists at the CDI have given our health network a crucial tool to treat New Jersey patients in real time," Robert Garrett, Hackensack Meridian Health CEO, said in the announcement. "Now their innovation will help others at this time of urgent need."
Through the licensing agreement, the test will be added to T2 Biosystems' in vitro diagnostics platform. It can be deployed using the company's T2Dx instrument, which is already in use by hundreds of hospitals in the U.S. to detect sepsis-causing pathogens, with results available within three to five hours.