ZiP Diagnostics Awarded Federal Government Funding to Develop a Novel, Multiplexed Point-of-Care Test for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis
ZiP Diagnostics is pleased to announce it has received funding through the Australian Government's Blood Borne Viruses (BBV) and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STI) Research Program to develop and clinically evaluate a novel rapid point-of-care diagnostic test capable of simultaneously detecting HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis from a single fingerstick blood sample.
The ZiP-BBV-ARRAY test will be designed for use by minimally trained operators across a broad range of clinical settings, from specialist sexual health and viral hepatitis clinics to antenatal services, GP practices, and remote/regional healthcare services – enabling same-day testing and treatment initiation without the delays associated with laboratory referral.
"We are thrilled to be successful in this scheme," said Dr Jack Richards, CEO and Founder of ZiP Diagnostics. "Rapid, affordable diagnostics need to be accessible across the full spectrum of healthcare settings, and this funding supports our ability to deliver that – with a test wholly designed and manufactured in Australia. Building sovereign capability in diagnostics is critical, and we are proud to be doing that work here."
The project will be conducted in partnership with a consortium of clinical collaborators representing the full diversity of settings where point-of-care diagnostics can drive impact: at sites including Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, and Utopia Refugee Health. Professor Benjamin Cowie, an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis at the Doherty Institute, is a chief investigator on this project, and will be coordinating multi-site clinical studies through the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
“This work is vital to support increased access to low-cost diagnostics for these public health priority conditions at point of care, particularly in low and middle income countries.” Prof. Cowie said.
The project team also includes Flinders University International Centre for Point-of-Care Testing providing critical usability studies in remote/rural settings including Indigenous communities.
The program spans product development and optimisation, analytical and clinical validation, implementation research, and health economic modelling – in collaboration with Burnet Institute – generating the evidence base required to support future regulatory approval and implementation in diverse clinical settings.
