Ramona Adams
A General Atomics business unit has received a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to build a portable medical device for military personnel to detect if they have come into contact with an infectious disease.
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems will equipe the Portable Diagnostic Platform with sensor technology and disposable cartridges designed to perform laboratory-quality molecular diagnostic functions, the company said Wednesday.
“Biological threats are a growing concern for field personnel and troops, driving the need for small, rugged, and easy to use diagnostic devices that can rapidly indicate positive or negative results to infectious disease exposure,” said GA-EMS President Scott Forney.
Forney added the company seeks to help field personnel conduct self-tests for a variety of infectious diseases within an hour through the Portable Diagnostic Platform.
To conduct a test, a single-use disposable cartridge will be used to collect a fluid sample and inserted into the portable device to carry out an analysis.
GA-EMS intends for the device to display an “easy to read” positive or negative test result in less than an hour.
