The U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Basis (Cohen Basis) introduced that the LymeX Diagnostics Prize acquired 52 Section 1 submissions. From Could to August 2022, the primary section of this Lyme Innovation Accelerator competitors referred to as on specialists to submit revolutionary detection strategies that may advance Lyme illness diagnostics. Hailing from a variety of organizations—together with academia, innovation facilities, main diagnostics companies, and startup labs—entrants submitted a breadth of proposed options for detecting energetic Lyme illness infections in individuals. The last word aim of the multiphase competitors is to nurture the event of diagnostics towards Meals and Drug Administration assessment.
Though an estimated 476,000 Americans are recognized and handled for Lyme annually, there is no such thing as a FDA-cleared take a look at that may detect energetic an infection. Early prognosis of Lyme illness is essential: if left untreated, the debilitating illness can grow to be tougher to eradicate and may unfold all through the physique. Through the use of an open innovation construction, the LymeX Diagnostics Prize is ready to supply funding alongside entry to technical help whereas fostering collaboration alternatives—which gives incentives to a various group of specialists to return collectively and handle an unmet affected person want. From adapting methods comparable to radiology imaging, genomics sequencing, and microfluidics to translating approaches utilized in diagnosing different infectious illnesses, together with COVID-19, the idea papers that have been submitted proposed a variety of high-potential concepts.
It’s a precedence for this administration to guard and develop Individuals’ entry to high quality, inexpensive well being care. The success of Section 1 of the LymeX Diagnostics Prize competitors has the potential to deal with Individuals’ essential want for an correct Lyme illness diagnostic take a look at. Section 1 demonstrated that the competitors’s open innovation mannequin can speed up scientific breakthroughs whereas fostering collaboration and partnerships.
A multidisciplinary group of technical reviewers and judges are evaluating submissions in accordance with official Section 1 evaluation criteria. Primarily based on this analysis, the judging panel will suggest as much as 10 winners, who will every obtain an equal share of the $1 million Section 1 prize pool and an invite to take part in a proposed Section 2.
“We’re thrilled by the big selection of options and sit up for working with the LymeX Diagnostics Prize’s neighborhood of collaborators to advance the following technology of Lyme illness diagnostics,” stated Steven & Alexandra Cohen Basis President Alexandra Cohen. “By means of our $10 million pledge to the prize competitors, we’re dedicated to strengthening our public-private LymeX partnership with HHS.”
On the discretion of HHS and the Cohen Basis, and topic to availability of future funding, not less than one extra section could comply with Section 2. Future phases are anticipated to concentrate on scientific and nonclinical validation of diagnostic assessments that detect energetic an infection by Lyme-disease-causing micro organism, in addition to readiness for regulatory submission and market entry. Because of a $10 million pledge to the LymeX Diagnostics Prize from the Cohen Basis, $9 million in extra LymeX prizes are projected to be accessible in proposed future phases.
To study extra, go to LymeXDiagnosticsPrize.com and subscribe to the competition newsletter.
About LymeX
The LymeX Diagnostics Prize is sponsored by the Lyme Innovation Accelerator, a partnership between the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Basis. LymeX is the world’s largest public-private partnership for Lyme illness, fostering collaborative innovation amongst sufferers and advocates, academia, nonprofits, trade, and authorities. As a part of a bigger moonshot, LymeX is figuring out, growing, and implementing developments in Lyme illness care. Along with accelerating next-generation diagnostics, LymeX is spearheading growth of human-centered options and fostering breakthroughs in training and consciousness. For extra info, go to lyme-x.org.
In regards to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers
HHS enhances and protects the well being and well-being of all Individuals. HHS fulfills that mission by offering for efficient well being and human providers and by fostering sound, sustained advances within the sciences underlying drugs, public well being, and social providers. For extra info, go to hhs.gov.
In regards to the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Basis
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Basis is dedicated to inspiring philanthropy and neighborhood service by creating consciousness, providing steerage, and main by instance to indicate the world what giving can do. The Basis’s grants assist nonprofit organizations based mostly in america that both assist individuals in want or clear up advanced issues. The Basis is the most important non-public funder of Lyme and tick-borne illness analysis in america with over $75 million disbursed for groundbreaking research in prevention, diagnostics, and therapy in addition to constructing important analysis infrastructure to catalyze innovation. The Basis additionally spearheads grassroots campaigns to encourage others to offer. For extra info, go to steveandalex.org.
