Benzinga | Feb 16, 2021 06:31AM EST

Biodesix To Provide Antigen And Droplet Digital PCR Testing For Chicago Public School Teachers And Staff

Rapid Antigen and PCR Testing Offered to Asymptomatic School District Employees

Biodesix, Inc. (NASDAQ:BDSX), a leading data-driven diagnostic solutions company with a focus in lung disease, today announced that the company has partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to provide antigen and Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR)(tm) testing for Chicago Public School teachers and staff. The CPS testing program, which launched in January, is a surveillance testing protocol and uses rapid antigen tests to monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 among asymptomatic employees, followed by confirmatory ddPCR testing. Biodesix was one of the earlier laboratories to join in the fight against COVID-19, offering two COVID tests that earned Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) during the onset of the pandemic.

Biodesix has extensive COVID-19 testing experience with large scholastic groups including athletic programs at Big Ten Conference institutions and faculty and student testing for Purdue University. Biodesix provides the Bio-Rad SARS-CoV-2 ddPCR and the Platelia SARS CoV-2 Total AB tests, which the company developed in partnership with Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO). Findings from studies suggest that ddPCR testing is highly sensitive compared to reverse transcription PCR (RTPCR) tests and can reduce false negative results without increasing false positives.

"Being able to work with the one of the largest school systems in the United States to ensure the safety of its teachers, staff, and students is critically important to our company. Our focus on lung disease and the reported devastation to the human lung by COVID-19 compelled us to step up as quickly as possible to help support COVID testing in our own community, as well as across the country. Making highly sensitive COVID-19 testing available to our educators is an essential component of overall public health and safety as our families return to school and work," said Scott Hutton, CEO of Biodesix.

The district's testing program will offer all school-based staff tests at least twice per month, with approximately 50 percent of its teachers per week. Additionally, all school-based staff working in zip codes with the ten highest case counts will be offered testing weekly. CPS and Biodesix will continue to increase testing capacity as additional grades and staff phase in. CPS is the third largest school district in the United States with 642 schools and more than 350,000 students.