First Light Diagnostics, Inc., a developer of breakthrough automated products for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening infections, today announced the authorization of a $4 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These funds will continue BARDA’s support of First Light Diagnostics’ proprietary MultiPath™ platform and a rapid ultrasensitive test to identify victims of an anthrax attack. The test’s unique combination of high performance, high-throughput, and ease-of-use underlies its value for accommodating the surge in testing in a public health emergency. Using the company’s powerful single-molecule counting MultiPath technology, the test detects Lethal Toxin, an early blood marker of anthrax which is made by the pathogen Bacillus anthracis, directly in whole blood without requiring any sample preparation by the user.
First Light Diagnostics, Inc., previously known as First Light Biosciences, Inc., was awarded a $750,000 Accelerator Loan in 2016. The MLSC’s Accelerator Loan program provides capital to early-stage life sciences companies to help achieve critical milestones in their research.