Biodesix Partners with Chicago Public Schools for COVID-19 Testing to Safely Reopen Schools
By: Colorado BioScience Association Date: 02/16/2021
Biodesix, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSX), a leading data-driven diagnostic solutions company with a focus in lung disease, today announced that the company has partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to provide antigen and Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR)™ testing for Chicago Public School teachers and staff. The CPS testing program, which launched in January, is a surveillance testing protocol and uses rapid antigen tests to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 among asymptomatic employees, followed by confirmatory ddPCR testing. Biodesix was one of the earlier laboratories to join in the fight against COVID-19, offering two COVID tests that earned Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) during the onset of the pandemic.
Biodesix has extensive COVID-19 testing experience with large scholastic groups including athletic programs at Big Ten Conference institutions and faculty and student testing for Purdue University. Biodesix provides the Bio-Rad SARS-CoV-2 ddPCR and the Platelia SARS CoV-2 Total AB tests, which the company developed in partnership with Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE: BIO and BIOb). Findings from studies suggest that ddPCR testing is highly sensitive compared to reverse transcription PCR (RTPCR) tests and can reduce false negative results without increasing false positives.
Find out more in the Biodesix press release.