PositiveID Corporation Develops New Firefly Dx Prototype System With Sample Preparation Added to PCR Capabilities
Development Milestone is Expected to Provide Better Efficiency in Purifying the Sample Being Tested, Enabling the Detection of Lower Quantities of Organism Present
PositiveID Corporation
1 minute ago
GlobeNewswire
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DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Nov. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PositiveID Corporation (“PositiveID” or “Company”) (PSID), a life sciences company with an extensive patent portfolio, announced today that it has completed a new sample preparation breadboard system which complements, and works in conjunction with the Company’s Firefly Dx polymerase chain reaction (“PCR”) breadboard prototype pathogen detection system (“prototype system”).
The new Firefly Dx prototype system incorporates sample preparation on a disposable injection molded cartridge that removes contaminants and purifies samples for processing and detection with PCR. Including sample preparation on the prototype system is expected to improve the ability to purify the sample and detect the organism of interest at much lower levels.
Firefly Dx is targeting the global PCR market, which is projected to reach approximately $27.4 billion this year, according to a Research and Markets' report Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) - Products/Tools - A Global Market Watch, 2009-2015.
“In addition to having PCR capabilities on the Firefly Dx prototype, we are now at the next iteration of the design, which includes sample prep,” said William J. Caragol, Chairman and CEO of PositiveID. “In a short period of time, we expect to be at a stage of our development where we can take a sample (whole organism), run it through sample prep and purification followed by the real-time optics and PCR testing on one system. That will be a critical milestone in our development as we prepare for field-testing later next year.”
PositiveID's Firefly Dx is designed to provide real-time, accurate diagnostic results in less than 20 minutes from a handheld device, thereby leading to treatment scenarios at the point of need that are not possible with existing systems, which require lab-based equipment, highly trained personnel, and can take hours or even days to provide results. Firefly's applications include point-of-need, lab-quality, detection of pathogenic organisms; agricultural and food screening in both domestic sectors and developing countries; and detection of biological agents associated with weapons of mass destruction.
Based on its latest advancements in the development of the Firefly Dx prototype system, the Company is now running the sample preparation and PCR elements of the development in parallel with the objective of accelerating the completion of a field-testable unit. PositiveID’s goal is to have units available for testing by the end of 2016.
The Company is currently testing its newly designed sample preparation prototype system with injection-molded, single-use, disposable cartridges. The next step in the development of the Firefly Dx prototype system will be to process samples through only the Company’s system, from sample preparation to reporting of results.
About PositiveID Corporation
PositiveID Corporation is a life sciences tools and diagnostics company that develops biological detection systems for point-of-need testing and America’s homeland defense industry, and acquires complementary technologies across multiple life sciences verticals. For more information on PositiveID, please visit
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