The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is partnering with COVAXX, a subsidiary of United Biomedical, a recognized leader in antibody diagnostics and vaccine development, to provide large-scale, high-quality COVID-19 antibody diagnostic testing and processing.
UNMC and COVAXX signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the past week, with large-scale testing expected to begin in the very near future.
"There is an immediate need in the United States to provide trusted lab-based antibody testing and processing on a massive scale to help our society develop important strategies against COVID-19, so that our communities can return to work safely and with confidence," UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., said. "We are pleased to partner with COVAXX for this important work."
"Through its expertise as the home to the Global Center for Health Security, as well as the National Training, Simulation and Quarantine Center (TSQC) and one of the nation’s largest biocontainment units, UNMC is the ideal partner to ensure that antibody tests are being processed quickly and accurately, providing the essential information needed to allow Americans to return to work," said Jon Harrison, Chief Strategy Officer of COVAXX, a company based in Hauppauge, N.Y.
The UNMC/COVAXX partnership will provide a comprehensive end-to-end solution to process tens of thousands of COVID-19 antibody tests per day. After an initial partnership with the Omaha Fire Department, this work will include serving other health care workers, first responders, military, schools, agriculture enterprises, businesses and non-profit and large-scale organizations across communities in Nebraska and throughout the United States. The partnership is focused on providing large-scale testing for organizations, not one-off testing for individuals.
"We are excited to work with the top medical research institution in this field to do our part to scale up the number of antibody tests that can be processed each day," Harrison said.
Mei Mei Hu, COVAXX co-CEO added, "Comprehensive, cross-organizational COVID-19 collaborations like this are vital to protect our communities and provide government, business and organization leaders the necessary tools and confidence to break free from this pandemic and restart society and the economy in a safe way."