SAN DIEGO’S BIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS RECEIVES $1M GRANT

Gates Foundation funding will further efforts to bring fast tuberculosis testing

San Diego-based Biological Dynamics has received a $1 million follow-on grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue work on a novel tuberculosis diagnostics system targeting countries with limited access to sophisticated medical testing labs.

The privately held company received an initial $500,000 grant from the Gates Foundation in 2018. Last year, it cleared milestones required for the project to continue, which resulted in the additional funding.

“The sensitivity, scalability and affordability of our (diagnostic platform) makes it ideal for developing tests intended for resourcepoor settings,” said founder and Chief Executive Raj Krishnan, PH.D., in a statement. “It is a privilege to be able to contribute to the effort of eradicating TB worldwide.”

According to the World Health Organization, more than 9 million people developed tuberculosis in 2018, many in emerging countries. Roughly 1.5 million people died from the disease.

The organization’s prevention strategy calls for early detection, with streamlined testing being the top diagnostic priority.

Founded in 2010, Biological Dynamics makes a proprietary lab-on-a-chip plat

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