Hope as some might, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic isn’t going away any time soon. The focus now is on combating the pandemic, and for government officials, health care professionals, and investors, the tools that can help in the fight.
The biggest need? Many would think a COVID-19 vaccine or cure takes priority, but vaccines take months at the least to develop, test, and regulate. As the situation has unfolded and worsened, dealing with the current cases is of paramount importance, in the form of a dire need for medical and personal protective equipment and increased coronavirus testing.
Unfortunately, even more than a month into the pandemic, the current testing paradigm still needs improving. Because of the finite amount of tests produced to date, many people with less-developed symptoms are unable to get tested for COVID-19. Many of the tests that exist right now are not effective at identifying asymptomatic cases and take up to a few days to produce a result.
Dire circumstances have spurred companies that were not involved in the situation to re-assess their products to see if they could shore up the testing deficiencies. If you had a technology that can accurately isolate or even identify target particles, you found yourself in demand, and doubly so if it had a proven history of use detecting specific target analytes.
Understandably, the nanotechnology experts at
Sixth Wave Innovations Inc. (
CSE:SIXW,
OTC:ATURF,
Forum) stepped up to the plate. On Apr. 3, the Company announced it
filed a patent application for a rapid detection test for viral outbreaks, including the ongoing COVID-19.
The President & CEO of Sixth Wave, Dr. Johnathan Gluckman, commented on the decision to use the Company’s technology to help identify viruses:
"Now more than ever, the reality of an interconnected world means there is a desperate need to quickly identify and stem the tide of emerging pandemic outbreaks. Rapid detection, the ability to instantly assess the threat of viral contact, and tools of early intervention are crucial to the containment of new viruses. We hope this technology will revolutionize how we proactively get ahead of pandemics like COVID-19 and other future novel viruses, preventing their spread and mitigating the social and economic losses."
Investors familiar with Sixth Wave Innovation already know how impressive the Company’s technology is, and why the markets reacted positively to the announcement of the patent. On Apr. 6, Sixth Wave
followed up with an update that internal research and development of additional product offerings was ongoing, and that additional patent filings will be forthcoming. Those
familiar with Sixth Wave’s molecular tech, and its history, shouldn’t be surprised that the Company’s stock rose by 39% after the announcement.
(Illustration of the basic components of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers | Image via Sixth Wave Innovations)
The key is Sixth Wave’s use of Molecular Imprinted Polymers (MIPs). Formed with a 3D mold of a targeted analyte, The Company has successfully developed and commercialized MIPs that have been used as effective sensors and isolators of specific molecules in mining, defense and homeland security applications.
The Company’s filing for the Accelerated Detection MIPs (AMIPs) taps into this history of development. Through a database of MIPs that will be developed using viral surrogates or inactive strains, Sixth Wave plans to create a library of known viruses that can be quickly detected with a fast and simple point of use test. That makes it useful for not only the current COVID-19 pandemic, but future viral outbreaks in the future.
It also factors in the Company’s experience using MIPs for rapid detection. Previously, Sixth Wave developed a substance-activated fast evaluation test for improvised explosives that was highly effective, easy to use, and provided a colorimetric indication of 36 target analytes,
with a single-use wipe or spray that had zero false positives. This technology was a collaborative effort using internal company resources and funding by the US government.
The AMIPs platform replicates this success, and falls under the pressing testing need for healthcare systems around the world for Rapid Diagnostic Technologies. Commonly employed forms utilize either Polymerse Chain Reaction, which can require highly trained lab staff and processing times up to a few days, or Immunoassay Technology, which is easy-to-use but can miss infections because it relies on detection of antigens or antibodies that take a long time to develop in the body (especially in the case of COVID-19).
The proposed Sixth Wave AMIPs tech is an exciting and necessary addition to current healthcare needs, and the markets are understandably excited even though the Company still has a lot of work to do before the test goes to market. The good news is that Sixth Wave’s operational history and success has laid the groundwork. If the Company is able to follow through with another successful deployment of its MIPs nanotechnology, it won’t be long before you hear about AMIPs well outside of investment circles.
FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a paid article produced by Stockhouse Publishing.