FML startup diaxxo brings small and fast PCR test device to Zanzibar

PCR test device from FML spinoff diaxxo helps screening more than 10’000 children for schistosomiasis in Zanzibar

zanzibar pcr test

Diaxxo is very proud to deploy its Point-of-Care (PoC) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis in a large screening study in Zanzibar.

Over the course of the next months, they provide the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Basel, swisstph.ch) with devices and test cartridges for testing more than 10’000 children in schools across the island.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas, especially in poor communities without access to safe water and sanitation. Currently, the standard method to diagnose urogenital schistosomiasis is the detection of parasite eggs in urine via microscopy. This method is time consuming, needs special training and samples with low egg counts are often falsely declared negative.

Thanks to diaxxo’s innovative rapid PCR test (peakPCR), accurate diagnostics can now be performed in a much shorter time and at lower cost.

Our technology proved extremely resistant to the difficult tropical conditions and it has already allowed the Swiss TPH to process up to 200 patients per day with high-quality results.

fml diaxxo zanzibar
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