LexaGene Enters into Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the United States Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command
BEVERLY, Mass. – September 16, 2021 – LexaGene Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: LXXGF; TSX-V: LXG) ("LexaGene" or "the Company"), a molecular diagnostics company developing automated rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing solutions for veterinary diagnostics and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, today announced it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM).
This CRADA aims to foster innovative biothreat defense capability development, which is part of DEVCOM’s current technology priorities. LexaGene will work with the United States Army to demonstrate the capabilities of the MiQLabTM, LexaGene’s flagship pathogen detection system.
Dr. Manoj Nair, Director Applications & Assay Development at LexaGene comments, "This CRADA enables our team to work with biothreat specialists within DEVCOM who have access to unique biothreat samples and secure government laboratory facilities. This working arrangement is critical for us to advance our goal of providing technology for biothreat detection to the United States government."
Under this agreement, LexaGene will deliver a MiQLab system to DEVCOM for the purpose of determining the system’s ability to detect Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, which cause anthrax and plague, respectively. DEVCOM will determine the system’s sensitivity (e.g., limit-of-detection) for these two pathogens as well as evaluate the system’s quantitative detection capability.
Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGene’s CEO and Founder states, “Early in my career, I helped develop the Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS), which was selected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to be the first autonomous detector component of their BioWatch antiterrorism program. Through this work, I was inspired to improve the APDS technology, so I invented the technology that LexaGene is now commercializing. LexaGene’s MiQLab is open-access, making it much more nimble for quickly responding to a novel threat. I am very pleased to be working again with the U.S. government and look forward to demonstrating to the Army the benefits of the MiQLab’s open-access technology for the rapid detection of bio-threat agents.”
This work will be conducted at both LexaGene and DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD.