LONDON, December 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LumiraDx Limited LMDX, a next-generation point-of-care diagnostics company, today announced that it has received $14.2 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the continued development of its point-of-care testing system for received molecular tuberculosis (TB). The TB molecular test is being developed in conjunction with the LumiraDx multi-assay platform to deliver highly accurate results at a low cost at the point-of-care, enabling clinicians to immediately begin appropriate treatment and patient management to improve health outcomes maximize and minimize the further spread of infection.

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2022, the gap between the number of people infected with tuberculosis and the number of people diagnosed with tuberculosis has widened to over 4 million per year in both 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019. Addressing this crisis will require a significant new supply of TB molecular testing. However, existing options are limited by price, test duration, power requirements, and reliance on a sputum sample type that can be difficult to collect in many patients.

The LumiraDx molecular TB test was developed to fill these gaps and needs in the TB testing market and significantly improve access to testing. With support from the foundation, the testing system is being developed to enable testing at a lower cost and to incorporate a tongue swab sample, making it easier to test a higher percentage of patients. Additionally, the portability of the LumiraDx platform, weighing just 1.1 kg and using a rechargeable battery, would allow the TB test to be used in decentralized settings in low- and middle-income countries where laboratory access is restricted is. The LumiraDx platform is the only point-of-care instrument that supports both molecular and immunoassay technologies.

Ron Zwanziger, CEO of LumiraDx, commented, “The advancement of our TB molecular test marks an important step forward in the development of LumiraDx…