On Jul. 29, 2020, Veracyte and MAVIDx announced an agreement for MAVIDx to develop ultra-high throughput genomic testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on the nCounter Analysis System, Veracyte’s diagnostics platform. The agreement is intended to enable diagnostic testing and population screening for COVID-19 at an unprecedented scale ﾖ up to 40,000 samples per day performed on the easy-to-use nCounter instrument – through technology that attaches molecular barcodes to individual RNA molecules of the virus.

MAVIDx is cofounded by Dr. Dimitrov, a founder of NanoString and inventor of the single-molecule barcode technology that powers the nCounter system. Veracyte acquired the exclusive global diagnostic rights to the nCounter system from NanoString in December 2019. Through the new agreement, MAVIDx will develop, validate, secure regulatory approvals for and commercialize its SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious disease tests, including for influenza, on the nCounter system. Veracyte has secured an equity stake in MAVIDx and will supply the company’s infectious disease test kits and nCounter instruments to support laboratories and other entities in the United States and in global markets. Financial and other details were not disclosed.

A recent report from Harvard University estimates that in the United States alone at least 20 million COVID-19 tests will be needed each day to fully remobilize the economy.

MAVIDx’s in-development test is intended to detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 copy numbers from nasal or throat swabs, using the simple workflow of the nCounter system, with minimal manual handling. The technology being developed by MAVIDx is designed to process up to approximately 9,000 patient samples at a time on a single cartridge, with the ability for a laboratory to potentially run up to 5 cartridges or more on the instrument during a 9-hour workday.

Veracyte (Nasdaq: VCYT) is a global genomic diagnostics company that improves patient care by providing answers to clinical questions, informing diagnosis and treatment decisions throughout the patient journey in cancer and other diseases. The company’s growing menu of genomic tests leverage advances in genomic science and technology, enabling patients to avoid risky, costly diagnostic procedures and quicken time to appropriate treatment. The company’s tests in thyroid cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are available to patients and its lymphoma subtyping test is in development. With Veracyte’s exclusive global license to a best-in-class diagnostics instrument platform, the company is positioned to deliver its tests to patients worldwide. Veracyte
is based in South San Francisco, California.