TIRAT CARMEL, Israel, February 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
A $4M grant was awarded tosupporttransfer to manufacturingofMeMed's pioneeringpointofcare platformthatdistinguishesbacterial from viral infections
MeMed Ltd. announced today that it has been awarded a $4,079,159 grant by the DoD's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The award will support transition of the prototype point-of-care (POC) platform towards a final product, including transfer to manufacturing and implementation of cloud connectivity. The CDMRP grant complements a $9.2M contract from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency awarded last year to MeMed that is supporting the final stages of prototype development.
(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451805/MeMed_Ltd_Logo.jpg )
"This grant will allow us to set up manufacturing processes for our POC platform, ultimately enabling MeMed's novel blood test that has been clinically validated for differentiating between bacterial and viral infection to reach the patient in a shorter time," said Kfir Oved, MD/PhD, MeMed's CTO.
MeMed recently announced completion of a trilogy of clinical studies, two of which were double-blind, conducted over the past seven years, which collectively enrolled 2,376 patients*. The latest study,PATHFINDER, published in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, independently confirmed that MeMed's novel blood test, accurately distinguishes between bacterial and viral infections in children. The test aims to support clinicians in one of the most routine yet challenging clinical dilemmas today - determining whether an infection is bacterial or viral in order to decide whether to treat or not to treat with antibiotics.
"Now that development is approaching completion, we are working to expand the menu of tests that will be available on the POC platform, including novel tests for predicting disease severity and for differentiating between sepsis and SIRS," said Eran Eden, PhD, MeMed's CEO. "Fast menu expansion is possible, as our unique platform paves the way to performing a wide range of other multiplex-protein measurements, with laboratory quality, within minutes at the POC - the basis for a panel of tests needed to advance patient care."
*Oved et al.Plos One, 2015; van Houten et el.Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2016; Srugo et al.Pediatrics, 2017.
CDMRP grant information
The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program under Award No. W81XWH-17-1-0694.
About MeMed
MeMed is dedicated to improving patient care through research, development and commercialization of solutions that decode the immune system's distinct responses to different health and disease states. The company focuses on providing rapid, accurate and actionable tests for acute infectious diseases and inflammatory disorders to be used in the hospital and community. Its first-generation test, ImmunoXpert, measures three blood borne immune markers to accurately detect whether a patient has a bacterial or viral infection, with the aim of empowering physicians to make more informed antibiotic treatment decisions. ImmunoXpert is cleared for clinical use in the EU (CE-IVD certified), Switzerland and Israel. It is currently in pilot distribution in these territories with a broader commercial roll-out underway. MeMed's second-generation test will provide rapid (within minutes) results at the point-of-care. The company is partnering with international stakeholders from industry and government to facilitate global availability of its tests. For additional information, please visithttp://www.me-med.com.
Company Contact:
Asi Cohen-Dotan, PhD, MeMed
Phone:+972-4-8500302
asi.cohen@me-med.com
Media Contact:
Kirsten Thomas, The Ruth Group
Phone: 508-280-6592
kthomas@theruthgroup.com
