Slovak scientists led by MultiplexDX develop tests for COVID-19

Under the leadership of Dr. Pavol Čekan, the MultiplexDX team of scientists has developed a new diagnostic test for COVID-19. The tests have undergone validation at the biomedical centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and is awaiting certification. The initial units should be available to the public within three weeks. Thanks to support from Crowdberry investors, Slovakia is poised to become self-sufficient in testing for the coronavirus.

The diagnostic PCR test is the equivalent of foreign tests in terms of quality and is specified for Slovak strains of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This enables its originators to reliably diagnose coronavirus infection at an earlier stage of the disease. MultiplexDX will be able to produce 500,000 tests in the next five weeks; the first 100,000 units should be available within three weeks. The development and production of the tests was supported by the ESET Foundation.

After receiving the prestigious EIC grant in the amount of EUR 2.5 million from the European Innovation Council last December, this marks yet another extremely positive development for MultiplexDX. As Pavol Čekan stated during a press briefing of the Office of the Government of the Slovak Republic, this is historically the first collaboration of its kind, in which a commercial firm has had the opportunity to be part of such a broad platform of scientists.

MultiplexDX, which received a milion-euro investment from Crowdberry for research in the area of cancer diagnostics in 2018, is proof that even a crisis can drive business growth. At the same time, it illustrates the fact that investing in domestic firms that innovate essential solutions to worldwide problems can have a high added value.