Minute Molecular awarded $21.3 million contract

EVANSTON - Minute Molecular Diagnostics Inc. said it has been awarded a $21.3 million federal contract to further develop its DASH 15-minute COVID-19 test.

"DASH enables non-laboratory personnel to insert a nasal swab specimen directly into our test cartridge and then load the cartridge into the DASH instrument, providing an accurate result in about 15 minutes," said Dr. Sally McFall, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Minute Molecular.

The system allows testing to take place at the point-of-care, outside of the traditional laboratory environment.

"DASH performs point-of-care (molecular) testing for COVID-19 in approximately 15 minutes, providing an important, new tool for safely reopening K-12 schools, universities and workplaces," said Dr. David Kelso, co-founder, president and CEO of Minute Molecular.

The contract is through the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative. The DASH system is the result of collaboration between Northwestern University's Center for Innovation in Global Health Technologies and Minute Molecular.