After years of developing diagnostics systems for cattle, a Morrisville company wants to do the same for people.
Advanced Animal Diagnostics has formed a subsidiary, Ad Astra Diagnostics, to develop a rapid hematology system that's intended to quickly provide measures of disease and infection in people. The company in March filed for regulatory approval of the device, called QScout RLD, through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
This transition into human health wasn't always part of the plan, said CEO Joy Parr Drach. The company made the move after realizing during the Covid-19 pandemic the impact its diagnostic system could have in human health.
Through its FDA submission, the company is aiming to get the system approved for use in identifying severe infection, including sepsis, in clinical and point of care settings. This could mean using the device in an emergency department or at the site of a disaster to quickly test patients within minutes for the early signs of a serious infection.
As a smaller company of about 24 employees – which includes a few new hires to support the focus on human health – Ad Astra is exploring partnership opportunities as it moves toward a potential commercial launch.
"We think the technology could be important around the globe and as small organization, there may be others who are better suited to (commercializing the device) around the globe," Parr Drach said.
Ad Astra was formed as a sister company to Advanced Animal. The two entities are closely intertwined and share the same employees and leadership team, including Parr Drach, who is the CEO of both. The companies operate out of about 14,000 square feet of office and lab space on Davis Drive near Research Triangle Park.
Advanced Animal formed in the mid-2000s and brought in its first venture capital funding in 2011, which is when work really began on developing the company's diagnostic system — which had its full first year of sales in 2022.
The animal health company has completed multiple capital raises since then, but Ad Astra has not yet had its own dedicated round. A roughly $750,000 federal contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority played an important role in the development of the human diagnostic, Parr Drach said.
As for whether the company would need to raise capital as it approaches a possible FDA approval and commercialization, Parr Drach said the company is searching for the best partners who can quickly move the system to health care providers.
"Our interest is in making a difference with this technology, and to make a difference and to save lives, we need to get the technology in the hands of health care providers," Parr Drach said.
