Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling to Today's Generation of Buyers
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Believe in Better'
iFirst Begins Rapid Development of COVID-19 Nasal Swab Test
March 27, 2020 | iFirstEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
iFirst Medical Technologies, Inc., a leader in handheld diagnostic devices, announced today that it has begun rapid development of COVID-19 nasal swab test.
"COVID-19 poses a grave danger to public health here in the U.S. and around the globe," said Luke Joseph, CEO of iFirst. "We at iFirst are compelled to act. Broad-based testing and on-the-spot results promise to slow the spread and save human lives."
iFirst has begun rapid development of a nasal swab test for use with the handheld iFirst Analyzer™ to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
Upon successful validation of its COVID-19 Test, iFirst plans to seek Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The iFirst Analyzer is a handheld diagnostic device, with onboard chemistry and optical analytics. It also has integrated GPS and wireless transmission of results to the iFirst Cloud™, enabling effective public health surveillance. This takes the form of real-time, automated reporting and mapping of outbreak hotspots, informing authorities and enabling better containment of the spread of an epidemic or a pandemic.
Critical use cases include ports of entry and enabling health care workers to evaluate and test quarantined patients in their homes. Mobile, in-home testing would ease the burden on clinics and hospitals as well as lessen the risk of social spread of disease.
iFirst has engaged Underwriters Laboratories and expects to complete UL testing and CE mark certification of the iFirst Analyzer during the second quarter of 2020. The CE mark indicates that a product may be sold freely in any part of the European Economic Area, irrespective of its country of origin.
Prior to COVID-19, the world has experienced threats from coronaviruses including SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2012. The underlying science used in the development of the test to detect SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) enables rapid development of tests for the unfortunate reality of future coronaviruses.
Honolulu-based iFirst is collaborating with researchers at the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). The company's iFirst Analyzer technology has been bench tested at JABSOM as well as Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
In 2017, the iFirst Analyzer was recognized by NASA iTech as one of the Top 10 technologies that are solving problems on Earth and have the potential to address existing challenges to enable NASA missions.
"iFirst is on the forefront of diagnostic technology, with research and development that saves lives and advances humanity," said Kevin Lye, M.D., the company's Chief Medical Officer. "With our Coronavirus Detection Initiative, we aim to work with governments and healthcare providers to slow the spread of COVID-19 and future coronaviruses."
iFirst is a privately held company, with backing from two Honolulu-based institutional investors, Markowitz Trust and Blue Startups. Funding for the early prototype iFirst Analyzer came from a roughly $1 million grant from the U.S. Army.
To accelerate test development, iFirst is seeking grants from governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private foundations. The company also invites collaboration with like-minded, innovative businesses. Find more info at https://www.ifirstmedtech.com/covid-19
Share on:
Suggested Items
Magnalytix and Foresite to Host Technical Webinar on SIR Testing and Functional Reliability
06/26/2025 | MAGNALYTIXMagnalytix, in collaboration with Foresite Inc., is pleased to announce an upcoming one-hour Webinar Workshop titled “Comparing SIR IPC B-52 to Umpire 41 Functional & SIR Test Method.” This session will be held on July 24, 2025, and is open to professionals in electronics manufacturing, reliability engineering, and process development seeking insights into new testing standards for climatic reliability.
Defense Speak Interpreted: Is DARPA Still Around After CHIPS?
06/24/2025 | Dennis Fritz -- Column: Defense Speak InterpretedWhen I first published my Defense Speaks Interpreted column in January 2019 on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA ERI), the agency advocated for an expanded Defense emphasis on closing the growing technology gap in microelectronics. The emphasis was on “resurgence.”
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
06/13/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Today is Friday the 13th, and in much of Western folklore, this is a day when bad luck is lurking. But while Friday the 13th may top Western superstition charts, the global calendar is sprinkled with its own unlucky legends. In Spain and Greece, the bad juju lands on Tuesday the 13th—a day linked to Mars, the god of war, and naturally, chaos. In Italy, it’s Friday the 17th that is feared, thanks to the Roman numeral XVII, which can be rearranged to spell VIXI—Latin for “I have lived” (a poetic way of saying you’re dead).
TTCI Celebrates Melanie Rutkauskas’ 10-Year Anniversary and Her Leadership of New Training Division
06/12/2025 | TTCIThe Test Connection Inc. (TTCI), a leading provider of electronic test and manufacturing solutions, is proud to celebrate Melanie Rutkauskas on her 10-year anniversary with the company.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap in Test: A Conversation with Bert Horner
06/11/2025 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Bert Horner is a seasoned industry veteran and co-creator of The Test Connection, Inc. (TTCI), a test and inspection company spanning over 45 years. In this candid conversation, Bert reflects on the challenges our industry faces with the retirement of career professionals and the subsequent loss of critical tribal knowledge. As he unveils The Training Connection’s innovative training initiatives, Bert emphasizes the importance of evolving educational programs that align with industry needs, particularly in design for test (DFT), and sheds light on strategies being implemented to foster the next generation of engineers.