The need for rapid COVID-19 tests will certainly continue throughout 2021, despite the great progress made on vaccines. Shots will reach everyone who wants them, sooner or later, but perhaps not as quickly as we may like. Rapid tests could be made available right now, without a prescription, so we don’t have to wait months for the vaccine to arrive.
In The News
ASSURE In the News
IN THE NEWS | Oceanit Progresses Towards FDA EUA Submission
Oceanit has been hard at work to develop and perfect the ASSURE-19 rapid test for submission to the U.S. FDA for emergency use authorization. Hawaii News Now reconnected with Dr. Patrick Sullivan last week to speak about the huge effort being made and the challenges being overcome as ASSURE-19 moves ever-closer to authorization.
COVID-19 Cases Still Growing, Links to Academic Papers
On October 24th, the United States tracked 78,702 new infections of Covid-19, a +32% 14-day change. The same day, 871 new COVID-related deaths were counted, this represents a +15% 14-day change. Click to find links to important academic papers from experts at Harvard, the University of Colorado at Boulder, Yale University, and more.
PRESS RELEASE | National Institutes of Health Approves Next Round of ASSURE-19 Funding Under the RADx ‘Next’ Program
Oceanit Laboratories received approval from NIH for next round funding under the RADx initiative, receiving an additional $250,000 for further development of the ASSURE-19 rapid Covid-19 saliva test. With this latest round of funding, Oceanit will have access to additional NIH R&D resources through the RADx network of core partners, which can help to expedite moving ASSURE-19 to market.
IN THE NEWS | The Call for Rapid, Point-of-Teed Testing Gets Louder
In Civil Beat this week, reporter Stewart Yerton explored how the calls for fast, frequent and cheap Covid-19 tests are growing stronger by the day. Experts agree that rapid tests can be the critical piece of the puzzle to solve the spread of Covid-19. By detecting infectiousness rather than just presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we can effectively quarantine those who would readily spread the disease – regardless of if that person exhibits or experiences symptoms or not.
PRESS RELEASE | Oceanit Selected As a Semi-Finalist For the XPRIZE Rapid Covid Testing Competition
Oceanit’s ASSURE-19 Covid-19 test was selected as a semifinalist from a pool of nearly 700 teams from around the world competing for the XPRIZE for Rapid Covid Testing. We will now perform blind proficiency testing on inactive virus samples sent to us by the XPRIZE Foundation as the next step towards becoming a finalist for the award.
The Aloha Protocol For a Safer Reopening with ASSURE-19
As Oceanit moves ahead with in-vitro and in-vivo testing for the ASSURE-19 rapid point-of-need test kits, Hawaii is seeing high, sustained counts for new covid-19 cases each day. Check out the latest articles and coverage of ASSURE-19 from the Washington Post, Hawaii Public Radio, and Honolulu Star Advertiser.
PRESS RELEASE | ASSURE-19 Begins Clinical Testing to Acquire FDA Emergency Use Authorization
Oceanit and the Queen’s Medical Center have started patient trials with ASSURE-19 rapid point-of-need covid-19 tests as of Saturday, August 22. Oceanit is collaborating with Dr. Todd B. Seto, QMC’s director of academic affairs and research, to obtain critical test data. This is the beginning of the journey to acquire US Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
ASSURE-19 Featured on Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Star Advertiser, and Pacific Business News
Oceanit is focusing on quickly bringing ASSURE-19 to market, organizing manufacturing so that we can provide schools, emergency responders, and airports with a simple saliva test to make high-risk situations safer. This phase of funding and work will help with regulatory compliance and approval, as well as support for accelerating a ‘go to market’ timeline and scale manufacturing.
Press Release | AUG 20: NIH Funding and Moving to Trials
Oceanit Laboratories’ ASSURE-19 rapid point-of-need COVID-19 test has been selected for continued support by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) initiative, to fill the nation’s critical need for rapid, simple, and affordable COVID-19 testing.