Partnered with The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF), LightDeck®’s inflammation panel seeks to improve hospitalization risk prognosis and triage for COVID-19 and other diseases.

Boulder, CO – January 26, 2021– LightDeck Diagnostics, the company leveraging planar waveguide technology to deliver lab-quality diagnostics in minutes, today received a $2M contract from HJF, as funded by the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) and the Department of Defense (DoD). 

The funds will be used to develop a rapid, quantitative, multiplexed test for C-reactive proteins (CRP), inducible-proteins 10 (IP-10 or CXCL-10), and other inflammatory markers, which are known as cytokines and chemokines. The LightDeck® Analyzer’s inflammation panel is expected to help healthcare providers determine the status of a patient’s health and the severity of their condition. The results could inform triage and treatment decisions on-site and in real-time, potentially making a significant difference in patient outcomes. 

Inflammation plays a critical role across all diseases, from infectious diseases like COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses to diseases like cancer. In COVID-19, the body triggers an inflammatory response that produces proteins including CRP and IP-10 or CXCL-10, which are markedly elevated in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Preliminary data LightDeck gathered in conjunction with HJF suggest that panels including CRP and IP-10 biomarkers may have utility in predicting the hospitalization risk of COVID-19 patients.  

“During pandemics or biothreat events, when resources like nursing staff, ICU beds, and ventilators are limited, triaging patients by determining the risk of a patient needing hospitalization and allowing caregivers to properly allocate healthcare resources is of the utmost importance,” remarked Dr. Danielle Clark of HJF. “We believe the LightDeck analyzer capabilities to measure a panel of inflammation markers in minutes should allow improved patient care promptly upon arrival to the emergency room or clinic.”

The LightDeck Analyzer leverages planar waveguide technology, which can enable quantitative, highly sensitive and specific tests for dozens of biomarkers on a single cartridge. The analyzer is compact, lightweight, and has a simple workflow so that healthcare providers could easily implement it in labs, hospitals, clinics, or at the point-of-care.  

“Multiplex tests for inflammation, optimized for each condition, are an exciting opportunity in diagnostics and prognosis,” said Nick Traggis, CEO of LightDeck Diagnostics. “With this project, we aim to validate the effectiveness of our inflammation panel for COVID-19, which is the first step towards delivering a larger triage panel for respiratory failure caused by a variety of conditions. We’re honored to continue to be a trusted source for fast, high-quality, multiplexed diagnostic solutions.” 

The funding through HJF will support a study using LightDeck’s inflammation panel and an evaluation of clinical, regulatory, and commercial requirements. LightDeck will develop plans to bring the tests to market via FDA’s standard in vitro diagnostics regulatory pathways. The Austere environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO) team at HJF will develop machine learning algorithms derived from ongoing clinical research efforts. In parallel, LightDeck will work with the JPEO team on additional opportunities for biothreat readiness implementations.

Those interested in learning more about how LightDeck is driving broad access to on-the-spot, lab-quality diagnostics, visit www.LightDeckDx.com

About LightDeck

LightDeck Diagnostics believes in a new approach to healthcare, where quick and accurate diagnostic tests will be run wherever and whenever they are needed, without compromise. The company’s proprietary LightDeck® platform combines an advanced laser waveguide with novel materials and patented manufacturing techniques to deliver lab-quality results anywhere, in minutes. The LightDeck platform is achieving success in veterinary diagnostics and for environmental testing. LightDeck is also developing a portfolio of in vitro diagnostic panels, the first is a point-of-care test for COVID-19. Learn more at www.LightDeckDx.com

About HJF

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a global nonprofit that administers more than $500 million in medical research funds annually. The Austere environments Consortium for Enhanced Sepsis Outcomes (ACESO) is a consortium implemented by HJF aiming to improve survival for patients with severe infections in low-resource settings. For more than 38 years, HJF has partnered with researchers and clinicians to provide bench to bedside to battlefield research support. More than 3,000 HJF teammates ensure HJF is a trusted and responsive partner by providing scientific, administrative, and program operations services to researchers in the military, academia, and private industry. For more information, visit hjf.org.

About the JPEO-CBRND

The Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense is the Joint Service’s lead for development, acquisition, fielding and life-cycle support of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense equipment and medical countermeasures. As an effective acquisition program, the JPEO-CBRND puts capable and supportable systems in the hands of the service members and first responders, when and where it is needed, at an affordable price. Our vision is a resilient Joint Force, enabled to fight and win unencumbered by a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear environment, championed by innovative and state-of-the-art solutions. The Joint Project Lead CBRND Enabling Biotechnologies (JPL-CBRND-EB) is an organization established for the purpose of providing medical solutions, during a crisis, against future threats.

Disclaimer Funding from the Defense Health Program / Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO). The views, opinions and/or findings expressed are those of the author and should not be interpreted as representing the official views or policies of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government. Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited.