Co-Diagnostics has received an $8.97m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support a tuberculosis (TB) test that is under development.

This test is designed to run on the forthcoming Co-Dx PCR platform.

The company will use this TB test for regulatory and clinical validation activities to increase manufacturing capacity and support further software development for the platform.

Co-Diagnostics will use the funding to leverage the existing infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities of its Indian joint venture, CoSara Diagnostics.

The grant will help improve and extend these assets to meet the expected testing demand when the Co-Dx PCR platform and the associated TB test become available.

The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the requirement to significantly boost the accessibility of cost-effective, point-of-care TB diagnostics.

This will facilitate quicker treatment decisions for TB, a disease with a roughly 50% mortality rate when untreated.

Co-Diagnostics CEO Dwight Egan said: “Co-Dx is committed to making point-of-care TB diagnostics more accessible around the world and we are pleased that this commitment will be supported by the additional proceeds of this new grant as we follow through on our mission to prevent the spread of infectious diseases by increasing the availability of PCR diagnostics worldwide.

“The WHO estimates that nearly 40% of TB cases went undiagnosed in 2021, or roughly 4.2 million, which represents a significant opportunity for this new platform to make a positive impact.”