Precision Biomonitoring Receives Letter of Intent from the Government of Canada for its Testing Capabilities in Response to COVID-19

Point-of-need COVID-19 test awaiting approval by Health Canada

GUELPH, ON and MISSISSAUGA, ON, March 31, 2020 /CNW/ - Precision Biomonitoring, an industry leader in developing environmental DNA (eDNA) tools to detect organisms at the point-of-need in 60 minutes, announces that it has been selected by the Government of Canada through a Letter of Intent with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) for its point-of-need SARS-CoV-2 Go-Strips test and battery-operated instrument in response to COVID-19. Precision Biomonitoring is one of the first ten companies to receive a Letter of Intent in the COVID-19 procurement space.

SARS-CoV-2 Go-Strips detect the RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome, COVID-19. The COVID-19 RNA targets are multiplexed together with Biomeme's RNA positive control, which is an RNA extraction and RT-PCR control, allowing results to be obtained onsite in 60 minutes. Early identification and diagnosis of COVID-19 is crucial to ensure a rapid response, thus mitigating the possible additional negative consequences of the virus. Weighing only 1.2 kg and battery-operated, Precision Biomonitoring's mobile solution is ideal for all point-of-need locations where screening is needed for vulnerable populations such as assessment centers, long-term care homes, ships, airports, borders and more distant regions and remote areas. The test is currently awaiting Health Canada approval.

"We are immensely proud to have been selected as an early partner by our Federal Government," says Dr. Mario Thomas, CEO, Precision Biomonitoring. "Precision Biomonitoring's innovative point-of-need testing device addresses the call made by the Government of Canada's Plan to Mobilize Industry to fight COVID-19. By pivoting and building from our experience in the sensitive area of food and water safety we are now looking forward to working with the Canadian health care community during this unprecedented time."

With the ability to administer nine tests per hour at the point-of-need in 60 minutes, the SARS-CoV-2 Go-Strips will help contribute to the call from all levels of government to increase testing capacity for COVID-19.

About Precision Biomonitoring SARS-CoV-2 Go-Strips
Precision Biomonitoring's easy-to-use Go-Strips are a mobile solution for health care providers in Ontario and across Canada. The device can be transported in a laptop-sized bag, ideal for on the spot tests, especially when results are needed now in emergency rooms and more rural and remote regions.

About Precision Biomonitoring 
Founded in 2016 by a team of scientists from the University of Guelph's Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, Precision Biomonitoring provides TripleLock™ onsite eDNA surveillance platform solutions that give customers earlier detection of organisms for a more rapid response. Customers are any organizations that need onsite surveillance and rapid identification of any organism in any environment. The Precision Biomonitoring team is at the forefront of technological innovations in the genomics industry. Our vision is a world where we can identify any organism on the spot, in an instant, anywhere on the planet. 

SOURCE Precision Biomonitoring

Media Contact: Meredith Adams, 416-459-7086, [email protected]