Date: Jul 17, 2021 Author: Shik Communications Source: GlobeNewswire (
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BOXBOROUGH, Mass., June 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HelixBind, which is developing an innovative diagnostic platform to revolutionize care for invasive infections such as sepsis, announced today it has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support testing of RaPID/BSI. RaPID/BSI, the first test for HelixBind's RaPID diagnostic platform, identifies the most common bloodstream infections associated with sepsis. The platform and test received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA in 2020. Development of RaPID/BSI has been supported, in part, by Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X), a global non-profit partnership dedicated to accelerating research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
Sepsis, caused by a severe immune response to a bloodstream infection, is a major global health crisis. Every year in the US, there are 1.7 million cases of sepsis, and more than 270,000 of those patients will not survive. Globally the situation is more dire, with 30 million annual cases leading to well over six million deaths. Prognosis for septic patients deteriorates hourly, so fast and accurate identification and characterization of the infection is crucial to assisting physicians to initiate the appropriate antimicrobial treatment as soon as possible. Although appropriate antimicrobials are available for the large majority of these infections, patients afflicted with sepsis often do not receive the right treatment quickly enough, leading to poor outcomes. HelixBind's RaPID platform can provide definitive identification and characterization of infections directly from a blood draw within hours (versus days with current methods).
"We are grateful for the continued support from the NIH for our RaPID diagnostic platform and for the recognition of RaPID/BSI's potential to improve outcomes for patients with sepsis by more quickly and accurately identifying bloodstream infections," said Alon Singer, CEO of HelixBind. "This latest grant will help accelerate our work to bring RaPID/BSI to market."
About HelixBind, Inc
HelixBind is developing an innovative diagnostic platform to revolutionize care for invasive infections such as sepsis. Its novel platform provides faster, more accurate, and more informative microbiology results, assisting clinicians in precisely identifying bloodstream infections and developing personalized antimicrobial interventions for infected patients and was designated as a Breakthrough Device by the FDA in 2020. This approach can improve outcomes, save lives, and reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Learn more at www.helixbind.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
CARB-X funding for this research is sponsored by the Cooperative Agreement Number IDSEP160030 from ASPR/BARDA and by an award from Wellcome Trust. The content of this news release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders.
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Helen Shik
Shik Communications
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