A Birmingham-based company is at the forefront of an illness that is being eyed across the globe.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tracking cases of monkeypox in countries that don’t normally report them, including the U.S, and BioGX is working to develop a PCR monkeypox test to help laboratories prepare for increased testing.
“As a company, BioGX is focused on simplifying laboratory testing for government, reference and hospital labs. We have a long-standing collaboration with the CDC monkeypox group, which coordinates testing for monkeypox to respond to surveillance and outbreaks, predominantly in Central Africa,” said Robert Martinez, senior director of scientific affairs and strategic partnerships at BioGX.
This partnership is now being leveraged to develop tests that will also be used in the U.S.
Monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox, and its symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, according to the CDC. Monkeypox is rarely fatal. Symptoms can include a rash that looks like pimples or blisters appearing on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.
And while there are no reported cases in Alabama yet, that does not mean they aren’t there, according to Dr. Mark Wilson of the Jefferson County Health Department.
“We have not had any cases detected yet in the state of Alabama. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist,” Wilson said. “There have been (cases) in Georgia and Florida, but we are prepared to do testing and contact tracing. We’re ready to do that if needed, as well as the state health department.”
Dr. Jodie Dionne, associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said it is likely cases of the virus will be reported in Birmingham in the coming weeks or months.
More than 450 cases have been reported in the U.S. as of Monday.
“In the early days of this outbreak, the common assumption was that the monkeypox cases outside of Africa were not going to exceed tens to hundreds of cases, but globally we are now in the low thousands of cases,” Martinez said, adding that laboratories want to be prepared, and some of BioGX’s U.S. customers are already seeing more need for tests.
BioGX is collaborating with a California-based molecular diagnostics company, Cepheid, to deliver a test that will run on the GeneXpert system. With a global installed base of more than 40,000 GeneXpert systems in 180 countries, the test could be deployed quickly in multiple settings where information is needed.
While experts encourage people to stay vigilant, it is not yet considered a serious threat.
“Business owners in Alabama need to know that monkeypox is not likely be anything like the Covid pandemic in terms of widespread transmission and serious outcomes like hospitalization,” Dionne said. “Fortunately, there is already a good vaccine available for monkeypox. There are some antiviral treatment options under investigation, and most people with monkeypox infection fully recover after two to three weeks.”
