British Spin-Off Joins Race to Contain Ebola

British Company Primerdesign Ltd, a high tech spin-off from the University of Southampton has developed a fast and simple diagnostic test solution specific to the current epidemic of Ebola virus in West Africa.

“Accurate diagnostics is essential in controlling an outbreak like Ebola.  There is an urgent need for rapid testing to screen suspected patients and people travelling in and out of the region,” explains Dr Jim Wicks, Managing Director of Primerdesign. “Our test is quick, affordable and easy to perform,” he adds.

The kit detects the DNA finger print of the Ebola Virus.  It means that even minute quantities of the disease can be detected in the early stages allowing for pre-emptive healthcare intervention.

Primerdesign Ltd, which is part of the university business incubator collaboration SETsquared, had finished development work and planned meetings (at the time of going to press) with the World Health Organisation to discuss plans to possibly put large numbers of these tests in to the front line in West Africa as quickly as possible.The company manufactures and supplies quantitative real-time PCR kits for the detection and simultaneous quantification of numerous significant pathogens. Target sequences for the Ebola 2014 strain are selected by working with data from key opinion leaders in the field.