Chembio Diagnostics specializes in the development of advanced diagnostic tests for infectious diseases such as HIV and syphilis. The company uses its patented Dual Path Platform (DPP) technology for rapid, point-of-care diagnostic testing. Chembio’s DPP technology is designed to provide faster and more accurate results. It can handle a wide variety of sample types (blood, urine, saliva, etc.), and requires only a minimal sample. The platform has potential applications in not only diagnostics, but food safety, environmental testing, forensics, bioterrorism and more.
The company recently began trials on an oral fluid HIV test. Chembio already markets two rapid HIV tests that use blood samples. The company also has a number of products in development, including a test for tuberculosis (TB), which kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. Current TB diagnosis and treatment relies on often-inaccurate smear technology procedures that are over 100 years old.
In December, Chembio signed a $900,000 contract with the Battelle Memorial Institute on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a diagnostic test for influenza. The test will be used as a public health tool to determine which strains of influenza people have been exposed to.
Related video: Lawrence Siebert, CEO of Chembio Diagnostics, discusses his company at the 2010 OneMedForum in San Francisco.