PositiveID Achieves Major Firefly Dx Development Milestone
Newest milestone and lab results demonstrate Firefly Dx design is capable of full biological testing process, from sample preparation to PCR and detection
DELRAY BEACH, Fla., March 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PositiveID Corporation ("PositiveID" or "Company") (OTCQB:PSID), a life sciences company focused on detection and diagnostics, announced today that it has achieved another development milestone for its Firefly Dx breadboard prototype pathogen detection system ("prototype system"). The Company has now demonstrated that the entire Firefly Dx prototype design functions as intended through the complete sample purification and detection process without the use of any third-party hardware, which is a critical component for future development and commercialization activities.
The Company successfully processed multiple samples on the Firefly Dx sample preparation breadboard and the purified sample DNA was put through the polymerase chain reaction ("PCR") process and real-time detection on the Firefly Dx PCR breadboard. The testing was completed without the use of any commercial instruments. The next step in the development of Firefly Dx is to combine these processes and breadboards into single units and demonstrate the capability to run a test from putting the raw sample in the cartridge through sample preparation, PCR and real-time detection as a single system.
"This latest development milestone further demonstrates the full capabilities of our patented Firefly Dx technology and our cartridges," stated William J. Caragol, Chairman and CEO of PositiveID. "We are now running on all of our own equipment, which gives us additional confidence that we will be able to successfully finalize the development of Firefly Dx. We are currently seeking a government contract or other partner to help us fund the remaining development and the build of the smaller, field-able prototype for testing by third parties to prepare for commercialization."
The Firefly Dx prototype system incorporates sample preparation on disposable, injection molded cartridges that remove contaminants and purify samples for processing and detection with real-time PCR. The inclusion of real-time optics on the Firefly Dx prototype system enables the measurement of fluorescence with every cycle of the PCR process, which is used to understand the amount of pathogen present.
PositiveID is developing the Firefly Dx system to be a handheld, fully automated, lab quality, real-time device able to detect bio-threats at the point of need. Currently tests are run in a laboratory on large lab-based equipment and take a minimum of four hours to deliver results. A design advantage of Firefly Dx is that it does not require additional equipment or separate steps for sample preparation and purification, unlike current lab-based equipment, thus reducing time to results as well as cost per test. In addition, due to the entire process being contained in a single, disposable cartridge, there is significantly less chance of sample contamination compared to existing testing methods.
The Firefly Dx prototype system has successfully detected a number of pathogenic organisms including E.coli, influenza, MRSA, MSSA, C. diff and others.
