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Corgenix to develop diagnostic tests for bioterrorism agents under multi-million dollar NIH contract
Company expands presence into BioDefense

14 Nov 2005 - Corgenix Medical Corporation, in partnership with Tulane University, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and two corporate partners, will develop and manufacture improved diagnostic tests for viral hemorrhagic fevers under a $3.8 million grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 
Under the NIH grant, Tulane University will lead a three-year study designed to develop better tests for viral hemorrhagic fevers, which are caused by arenaviruses known to be potential bioterrorism agents due to their high fatality rate and ease of transmission from person-to-person. Corgenix will work with Tulane and others to develop and manufacture a commercialized product that will enable rapid detection of the disease.
 
"We are very excited to work with these partners to develop diagnostic test kits that have significant implications for not only public health, but also biodefense," commented Douglass Simpson, President and CEO of Corgenix. "These new products, which will utilize our proprietary ELISA technology, will compliment our existing diagnostic product portfolio and extend our company's reach into the bioterrorism diagnostic test field."
 
The study will be led by Robert Garry, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Corgenix will partner in this project with Dr. Garry's team, as well as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Ft. Detrick, MD, Autoimmune Technologies, LLC of New Orleans, and BioFactura, Inc. of Rockville, MD.