H1N1 testing: Military picks Idaho Technology

SALT LAKE CITY, US: Idaho Technology’s Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS) has been approved by the military to run tests for the H1N1 virus.

In response to the recent outbreaks of the H1N1 virus, the Chemical Biological Medical Systems – Joint Project Management Office (CBMS-JPMO) requested JBAIDS be evaluated for Emergency Use Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration to identify the H1N1 virus. The use of the JBAIDS allows the armed services the ability to identify, isolate and control the spread of the H1N1 virus with a system that is already deployed in the field.

Testing was conducted at the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Maryland, using test kits manufactured by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Results revealed accurate identification of the H1N1 virus on the JBAIDS instrument. Idaho Technology provided a team of scientists that hastened the development so the delivery of the tests could begin this month.

As shared in a press release, this one is deployed across the globe, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, by all four branches of the military, and this JBAIDS instrument will be used to test military personnel and their families for Influenza A, swine flu A and H1 swine flu in less than an hour.

More traditional means of testing can take days to deliver results. Given the proximity in which soldiers live and work, the speed to result will enable a swift response and quarantine of the infected, minimizing the spread of the virus.

“Protecting our military forces has been Idaho Technology’s core mission with the JBAIDS. We stand ready to assist the military in any way we can and to be a resource in the fight to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus through fast and reliable detection,” said Kirk Ririe, chief executive officer of Idaho Technology.