Coronavirus: US start-up GenapSys says iPad-sized gene sequencer could help China contain outbreak
- Silicon Valley-based GenapSys is in early talks with Chinese health authorities to help fight the epidemic with its gene-sequencing technology
- Its iPad-size gene sequencer is 100 times smaller than traditional gene sequencers, making it ideal for widespread deployment during outbreaks, it says
Biotech company GenapSys was contacted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 29 to provide help fighting the epidemic, according to a spokesman.
“GenapSys is still in early-stage discussion with the Chinese CDC on how to most effectively fight the outbreak”, the spokesman said. “Working directly with any foreign government is tricky, so the company is making sure to stay compliant with all international laws and regulations.” The Chinese CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
GenapSys claims that its iPad-sized gene sequencer, launched last year in the US, is 100 times smaller than traditional gene sequencers on the market. The sequencer is small enough to be easily deployed at hospitals, airports and public transportation hubs for quick results on virus samples, making it “perfectly adapted” for crisis situations, it said.
“In the case of this coronavirus, for example, you can put one thousand of these machines in different parts of a city and screen different patients without moving the samples,” founder and CEO Hesaam Esfandyarpour said in a video interview, adding that it is “very risky to move samples that can cause contamination”.