CASPR Biotech developing cheap, rapid, point of care Crispr Cas12 Test | COVID-19 Response | SOSV

We would like to recognize and celebrate some of the significant ways that SOSV startups are directly combatting COVID-19. Caspr.bio has a Crispr Cas12 test that is cheap and rapid, at point of care. The test is an inexpensive, easily deployed device (think pregnancy test) that can operate anywhere (transit stations, businesses, airports - i.e., DOES NOT REQUIRE A LAB), with cheap testing strips. The devices cost less than $200 and testing strips cost under $10.

The test offers an incredibly rapid time from RNA extraction to positive test results (only one hour vs. typical times of more than 8 hours up to multiple days). It would be the first FDA-approved Crispr diagnostic.

While Caspr’s product is not yet on the market, the company is actively working to scale production in the next 2 months, with prototypes already confirmed as working.

The San Francisco and Buenos Aires-based company, started ~2 years ago, went through IndieBio, and originally worked on Zika virus and other genetic testing. The company is exploring opening in NYC for trials with hospitals and labs in NY in coming weeks.

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[Note: CASPR is testing its team twice a week for COVID-19 and encouraging social distancing for all staff]

Transcript:
Hello, this is Franco Goytia from CASPR Biotech.

At CASPR we're developing a portable device for molecular diagnostics as a platform powered through CRISPR and novel CRISPR cas enzymes that we've discovered. And we're most specifically applying these right now for COVID diagnostics and advancing at full speed in order to have our solution deployed for professionals to use in the very short term.

Going down to the lab, where the magic happens. Our protein purification team brainstorming something here. And now the lab, which you can see here. We'll go invade their space.

Currently there's not enough testing, but also for many of the testing solutions which are available, the process, such as the RNA extraction process and the reagents or equipment required for that are also in shortage. So it's a system that has suffered from key complications throughout the pipeline of what is needed for a diagnostic test to be performed.

So inside the lab, we have our CRISPR team working, doing validations, very serious. And our protein team working. Full speed.

So we integrate our own cas enzyme and these technologies as a platform for detection with lab on a paper and a microfluidics device and, jointly, we are automating the entire CRISPR detection flow, from sample to answer, into a 60 minute procedure with the device being the reusable part, the size of a smartphone or smaller, and our cartridges being the input of what is to be detected. In this case, cartridges for COVID-19 detection.

We're already doing pilots with different ministries of health and CDCs from from around the world. Both the public sector, as well as private companies and private laboratory networks and so forth are also very interested in the accessibility and precision that our technology brings to decentralized diagnostics.

It's a critical time for the world. There's a great need for more tests to be available. We're trying to do our part. We're still some time out from having our solution fully manufactured and fully developed, but we are doing as much as possible so as to have it within not many months but a short period of time.

And we have Natti. Dorey from our biomedical engineering team. Here we have some sample preparation and validation team there, with Carlos our project manager. Serious faces. That's part of our team, here in the IndieBio lab in San Francisco. Others are working in our lab in Buenas Aires. And yes, we're fully committed to making this happen.
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