Health technology company Detect Inc reported on Thursday the receipt of USD8.1m in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Detect Covid-19 Test under the highly competitive Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Initiative (RADxSM).

Under the President Biden's recent Covid-19 Action Plan, the company will utilise the funds to facilitate the development and scale up manufacturing of its PCR-quality rapid at-home Covid-19 test to meet national testing demand to stop its transmission.

Currently undergoing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review, the Detect Covid-19 Test provides lab-accurate results, at home, in approximately one hour. Through mobile app-based instructions, it combines the accuracy of a molecular nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) with the simplicity and scalability of a rapid test. It is intended for all known variants, including Delta.

The Detect Covid-19 Test is designed for large-scale, low-cost manufacturing, which sets it apart from other molecular tests on the market.

Upon the US FDA's authorization, the Detect Covid-19 test will initially be available in K-12 schools, workplace screening programmes as well as direct-to-consumer purchase via detect.com.