BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Immunetics, Inc. (Boston, MA) has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to support clinical trials for its BacTx™ test for bacterial contamination of platelet units. The award is a continuation of earlier grants from the NIH that supported the developmental of this test. The NIH grant is intended to help the company obtain FDA approval and bring the product to market. Transfusion of bacterially contaminated platelets can result in severe or fatal sepsis, and remains the highest known risk associated with transfusion of blood products. Screening all platelet units for bacterial contamination has recently been mandated by the American Association of Blood Banks, but rapid tests are not yet available for this purpose. The Immunetics test detects bacteria of all types in a simple and rapid procedure. The clinical trials will be conducted at several major medical centers, following which the Company plans to seek regulatory approval to release the new test.
