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Pinpoint Science Announces Collaboration with Analog Devices to Advance Novel Nanosensors for Pathogen Detection
(Contributed)
February 25, 2020 — San Francisco, CA
Startup Sandbox graduate joins forces with leading global high-performance analog technology company
Pinpoint Science Inc. today announced a strategic collaboration with Analog Devices, Inc. to advance the development and manufacture of novel nanosensor diagnostics that aim to deliver highly accurate results in under a minute. Pinpoint Science, a startup based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Analog Devices will work together to develop and mature this new technology that will endeavor to transform the way infectious diseases are diagnosed around the world. Pinpoint’s nanosensors, developed with the advanced fabrication capabilities of ADI, will target low-cost, handheld diagnostics and strive to provide results in under a minute with lab test level accuracy.
“The nanosensors behind the 30-second handheld coronavirus test we’re developing are based on functionalized nanopipettes developed by Dr. Nader Pourmand, professor of biomolecular engineering at the Baskins School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. Dr. Pourmand (who is also Pinpoint’s Chief Scientist) developed these nanopipettes to study individual living cancer cells, and won a major 2017 NIH prize for this technology. PInpoint licensed this technology from UCSC, and have now developed our own nanosensor chips which can be manufactured at scale. This week we announced a collaboration with leading semiconductor firm Analog Devices to fabricate our chips and readers. Our first two years of development and laboratory validation was carried out at the Startup Sandbox incubator in Santa Cruz.” — Lisa Diamond, CEO, Pinpoint Science Inc.
With the threat of the novel Covid-19 coronavirus concerning health officials globally, there is urgent need for better methods of mass screening to contain the spread of the virus. Today only scanning foreheads for fever is widely used for screening, but this cannot detect asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections, nor can it distinguish the novel coronavirus from other respiratory illnesses. Other coronavirus diagnostic tests under development don’t work for mass screening: they’re essential to diagnose suspected cases at the clinic or hospital, but results take anywhere from 15 minutes to 8 hours, too slow for front-line screening.
Analog Devices has an active interest in advancing nanosensor technology and plans to collaborate with Pinpoint on solutions and product offerings of mutual benefit to both companies. “Analog Devices believes Pinpoint’s novel nanosensor technology holds great promise for a wide range of applications, especially for rapid, low-cost pathogen detection, and we look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration with Pinpoint in bringing this breakthrough technology to market,” commented Nimrode Moreshet, Director of Emerging Business at Analog Devices.
“We are thrilled to be working with Analog Devices to develop and manufacture our innovative nanosensor diagnostic platform,” commented Lisa Diamond, CEO of Pinpoint Science. “Our collaboration with a world-class semiconductor manufacturer like ADI means we can begin to realize the potential of our groundbreaking technology. We see the immediate real-world need for our platform, especially with the pandemic threat posed by the novel coronavirus. Pinpoint’s technology can uniquely address the problem of effective mass screening: sensitive enough to detect asymptomatic infections, specific enough to distinguish novel coronavirus from other illnesses, fast enough to replace fever scans, simple enough to use for home self-testing, and affordable enough to use anywhere in the world. We are developing a low-cost, high-speed handheld screening test that can be rapidly deployed as a critical weapon to address emerging global disease threats.”
About Pinpoint Science Inc.
Pinpoint Science Inc. is a San Francisco-based startup developing a new generation of bioelectronic point-of-care diagnostics for viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens. Pinpoint’s nanosensors are used to detect biomarkers—antibodies, antigens, toxins, nucleic acids—to identify specific microbial pathogens. Early targets include influenza, coronavirus, and STDs. Pinpoint’s platform—a handheld reader and disposable cartridges—is easy to use and affordable, showing accurate results in under a minute, with no lab, technicians, amplification or sample prep needed. Visit https://pinpointscience.com/
About Analog Devices, Inc.
Analog Devices, Inc. is a leading global high-performance analog technology company dedicated to solving the toughest engineering challenges, enabling our customers to interpret the world around us by intelligently bridging the physical and digital with unmatched technologies that sense, measure, power, connect and interpret. Visit https://www.analog.com
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Tagged Pinpoint Sciences, Startup Sandbox
