Kryptos Biotechnologies Gets $1.2M Grant From RIGHT Foundation for Rapid STI Test

Original from: 360dx

Kryptos Biotechnologies said this week that the Research Investment for Global Health Technology (RIGHT) Foundation has awarded it $1.2 million to further develop its molecular diagnostic testing system for use at the point of care.

With the funding, Kryptos will use its proprietary ultrafast photonic PCR technology in collaboration with Osang Healthcare to create a 30-minute multiplex test for sexually transmitted infections.

The RIGHT Foundation is a public-private partnership among South Korean life sciences companies, the government of South Korea, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation intended to spur collaboration between South Korean and international researchers for global medical countermeasures.

The product development grant is intended to enable the Hayward, California-based diagnostics startup to advance its photonic PCR system, called Kuick, for use in the global healthcare infectious disease space.

The Kryptos multiplex STI test will detect chlamydia-, gonorrhea-, and trichomoniasis-causing pathogens, which led to an estimated 129 million, 82 million, and 151 million global disease cases, respectively, in 2020.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Osang will develop the real-time PCR reagents for the assay. Kryptos, meanwhile, will optimize the cartridge and integrated sample preparation chemistries of its Kuick system and enhance the system's performance for diverse environments.

The grant "will further our mission to develop advanced point-of-care molecular diagnostics that can fight infections and save lives," Jinyong Lee, CEO and cofounder of Kryptos Biotechnologies, said in a statement.

Jun Ho Son, chief technology officer of Kryptos, added that the firm's proprietary photothermal heating technology "enables the Kuick system to meet diverse market demands for speed, accuracy, cost-efficiency, and portability."

Last April, Kryptos raised $10 million in a Series A round led by Osang to advance its Kuick system and respiratory infection test through clinical trials for an anticipated US Food and Drug Administration submission in 2025.

Source: Kryptos Biotechnologies Gets $1.2M Grant From RIGHT Foundation for Rapid STI Test