Los Angeles-based Molecular Genetics Company MiraDx Transitions CLIA-Certified Lab to Provide COVID-19 Testing to Essential Workers

MiraDx currently has the capacity to analyze 3,000 tests per day and will be scaling up in the coming weeks to over 10,000 tests per day. MiraDx has no backlog. Test results will be available within 24-48 hours of receipt of the sample at MiraDx’s laboratory. MiraDx is making tests available for approximately $150 per completed test.

MiraKind, MiraDx’s sister non-profit, which empowers individuals to make informed healthcare decisions based on their personal genetics, has also transitioned to serve as a resource for corporations, individuals, and philanthropic organizations to contribute funds to pay for much-needed COVID-19 tests for organizations in need.

“MiraDx and MiraKind are in a unique position to contribute technology and expertise to support the many thousands of dedicated and fearless caregivers and other essential professionals who are literally risking their own lives to protect ours during this pandemic,” said Dr. Joanne Weidhaas, co-founder of MiraDx and founder of MiraKind.org. “The reason we’ve focused all of our resources toward this effort is to ensure that our frontline workers have access to fast, accurate testing for COVID-19 to preserve their own health, as well as the health of their families, co-workers, and the many citizens they serve.”

MiraDx has a CLIA-certified lab with a “high complexity molecular processing” designation, which allows it to conduct PCR testing, a highly sensitive approach that results in 90%+ accuracy in COVID-19 testing and is considered the gold standard in testing. To determine whether an individual is infected with COVID-19, a sample of the patient’s DNA and RNA is collected via a swab. The MiraDx test includes an air-tight vial, collection swab, a biohazard bag, and simple instructions for collecting the sample needed for testing. The sample itself is collected under the supervision of a healthcare professional.

MiraDx’s analysis technique can detect as little as one copy of coronavirus RNA in an individual sample, which means that the virus can be detected at even the early stages of infection and/or in asymptomatic individuals, unlike antibody tests which do not indicate a positive result until 7-10 days after infection. Antibody tests also do not tell patients when they are no longer contagious, which either leaves them in quarantine too long or presents the risk of them coming out of quarantine too soon.

MiraDx’s COVID-19 test has been developed in line with the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization requirements and MiraDx has completed the validation of the test. MiraDx will not be providing tests directly to consumers for “at-home” testing at this time.

About MiraDx and MiraKind

Dr. Joanne Weidhaas, MD, PhD, MSM is the co-founder of MiraDx, the founder of MiraKind, and currently a professor and vice-chair in the department of radiation oncology at UCLA.

MiraDx is a Los Angeles-based molecular genetics company that identifies, validates, develops, and delivers novel germline biomarker tests for individualized cancer treatment, and now performs COVID-19 testing. Its goal is to improve human health and advance personalized medicine through the application of novel functional germline biomarkers. To learn more about MiraDx, please visit us at miradx.com.

MiraKind is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and use of genetics to deliver personalized information to enable disease prevention and treatment guidance. To date, MiraKind’s focus on the oncological community has had a positive impact on thousands of patients’ lives by allowing agency for each patient via education and access to testing. To learn about MiraKind, visit mirakind.org.

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