Ascella Biosystems, Inc. Receives NIH RADx Program Grant to Advance Infectious Disease Diagnostic Technology Development

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Ascella Biosystems, Inc. (Headquarters: San Francisco, USA; CEO: Deepak Boggavarapu, “Ascella Biosystems”), the parent company of Ascella Bio JAPAN, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takahiro Suzuki, “Ascella Bio JAPAN”), is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program. This funding will significantly support the development of the innovative “AscellaOne” (formerly known as the Ascella Real Time System), diagnostic technology, designed to rapidly detect multiple respiratory pathogens, including COVID-19.

The RADx program was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal of accelerating the development and deployment of diagnostic technologies for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Ascella Biosystems is developing the “AscellaOne” diagnostic system, which is a compact, highly precise, and rapid testing solution. It enables early detection of infectious diseases and rapid treatment, specifically designed for both pandemic testing environments and home use. This project will expand its scope beyond SARS-CoV-2 to also include other critical respiratory pathogens, such as influenza and RSV.

This grant will primarily be used for the design and optimization of a novel respiratory pathogen panel, the development of primer design and lyophilization technologies, as well as research and development activities related to system commercialization and intellectual property protection.

Deepak Boggavarapu, CEO of Ascella Biosystems, said, “This grant from the NIH RADx program enables us to further advance our diagnostic technology and contribute to controlling the global spread of infectious diseases. This technology extends beyond COVID-19, offering significant potential in diagnosing future pandemics as well as common respiratory diseases such as influenza and RSV. We are confident that this project will have a direct and lasting impact on healthcare systems worldwide.”

Ascella Bio JAPAN, the Japanese subsidiary of Ascella Biosystems, is collaborating with its U.S. parent company on the joint research and development of the “AscellaOne” diagnostic system for　commercialization in Japan. Moving forward, both companies will strengthen their collaboration to accelerate commercialization efforts in both the U.S. and Japan.

AXEL MARK INC. (Headquarters: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroshi Matsukawa; Securities Code: 3624, hereinafter referred to as “AXEL MARK”) has invested $1 million each in Ascella Biosystems, Inc. in 2021 and 2023 to support the business expansion of the “AscellaOne” diagnostic system in Japan. Furthermore, Hiroshi Matsukawa, President and CEO of Accel Mark, has been appointed as a director of Ascella Bio JAPAN.

Ascella Biosystems, Inc., Ascella Bio JAPAN, and AXEL MARK will continue to strengthen their collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of “AscellaOne” in both the U.S. and Japanese markets.

Ascella Biosystems, Inc. has received support from Cimit through the POCTRN program. Cimit and POCTRN are supported by the RADx Tech program and have been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services, under Grant No. U54EB015408-08S.

About Ascella Biosystems
Ascella Biosystems headquartered in San Francisco, USA, is a medical device startup specializing in diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. Our mission is to provide solutions that help control the spread of pandemics and infections through fast and accurate diagnostics. The “AscellaOne” technology is designed to establish a new standard in diagnostics with its ease of use and reliability, enabling testing in both homes and healthcare institutions.