Boulder-based InDevR and Influenza Division of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed today that the M version of InDevR’s FluChip can distinguish swine-origin H1N1 from seasonal human influenza viruses and avian flu. The FluChip technology was able to detect all six variations of the swine-origin H1N1 from the current outbreak from human strains (A/H1N1 and A/H3N2) based on testing samples of non-infectious genetic material provided by the CDC. According to lead scientist Dr. Erica Dawson, also a co-inventor of the FluChip “the resulting pattern, or signature, on the microarray was dramatically different than the signature for seasonal A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 viruses.” This testing also confirmed that the strains in the current swine flu outbreak do contain an avian component within the M gene. Pictures of some of the results are available here on the company’s website. InDevR expected the FluChip, which it licensed from CU Boulder just last week, would likely prove effective at identifying the current swine flu variation based on previous testing demonstrating the ability to distinguish human viruses from those of animal origin.
InDevR with support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will immediately begin to manufacture FluChip kits to be placed in a limited number of public health labs. The true commercial value of the current finding to InDevR may come more from the demonstration of the capabilities of the FluChip technology. This demonstration may allow InDevR to quickly deploy FluChip kits in future outbreaks once it has combined the FluChip technology with its NESA (Non Enzymatic Signal Amplification) technology into a test kit that can be used in any lab with PCR capabilities.
