Swift Biosciences and BillionToOne Partner Together for Commercialization and Manufacturing of EUA Approved COVID-19 Test

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Swift Biosciences, a leader in Next-Generation Sequencing Manufacturing & Technology and BillionToOne, a precision diagnostics company today announced that Swift Bioscience will be the exclusive distributor of BillionToOne's RNA extraction-free, Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) COVID-19 Test Kit for high capacity testing of up to a million tests per day. The test is designed to detect the virus that causes COVID-19 in respiratory specimens obtained from nasal swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs, or oropharyngeal swabs.

The BillionToOne COVID-19 test uses different sets of instruments and chemicals from existing COVID-19 tests, enabling labs to unlock a new set of unused capacity. The BillionToOne test sequences the virus' genome - making the test sensitive, specific, and accurate compared to other COVID-19 tests on the market.  Most notable, this test does not require RNA extraction which is costly, time-consuming, and critical supply chain demands due to flu season will not negatively affect this workflow.  Additionally, the test is easily adaptable for any clinical labs with Sanger Sequencers and requires minimal training.

BillionToOne approached Swift Biosciences in April of 2020 and asked for their assistance to manufacture and provide quality assurance shipping and logistics.  Swift has provided BillionToOne with 60,000 RUO reactions that have been adopted by DASA, the biggest medical diagnostics laboratory in Brazil.  With the EUA approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Swift will be leading all worldwide commercial efforts, except for Brazil.

"Early in the pandemic, Swift was quick to pivot and offer products for sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome and associated receptors like ACE2.  By including the BillionToOne's COVID Diagnostic Test Kit into Swift's product portfolio, it allows us the opportunity to provide the full complement of tools to assist in the fight against COVID-19 in ways that were not possible before.  Clinical laboratories can use their excess Sanger instruments to full capacity to do over 3,000 test per day per instrument," said Nathan Wood, CEO of Swift Biosciences.

The BilliontoOne qSanger-COVID-19 Assay is available for immediate purchase, and shipment through SwiftBioSci.com for North America and Swift's global distribution network.

About Swift Biosciences

For over 6 years, Swift Biosciences has defined the leading edge of next-generation sequencing assay technologies that propel genomics, translational, and clinical research. The company's growing library of unique and patented technologies feeds a full innovation pipeline of accurate, timesaving, cost-effective, and scalable products that are second to none. Researchers around the world trust in Swift products and expertise when characterizing cancers and inherited diseases as well as when developing diagnostic tools and treatments to realize the true potential of personalized medicine. Swift and its impassioned team of specialists are proudly based in Ann Arbor, Michigan where we manufacture Swift research only products.  For more information, visit swiftbiosci.com

About BillionToOne

BillionToOne, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, is a precision diagnostics company with a mission to make molecular diagnostics more accurate, efficient, and accessible for all. The company's patent-pending QCT molecular counter platform is the only technology platform that can accurately count DNA molecules to the single-count level. BillionToOne's first product, UNITY, is the first and only noninvasive prenatal screening that tests fetal cell-free DNA for cystic fibrosis (CF) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) through a single sample of the mother's blood. BillionToOne was co-founded by Oguzhan Atay, Ph.D., and David Tsao, Ph.D. For more information, visit www.billiontoone.com.

For any media inquiries contact:  Camille Cappello [email protected]

SOURCE Swift Biosciences

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