March 19, 2020 | International, Land
COVID-19: Biotech Innovators Pitch Army Rapid Test Kits & More
The Army launched its Shark Tank-style xTechSearch before coronavirus hit, but several of the small firms competing for $1.2 million in prizes are working on ways to help. WASHINGTON: A portable scanner that checks throat swabs and blood samples for dozens of different pathogens in 60 minutes. Sprayable sealant for wounds that kills germs with nanoscopic particles of silver. A mental health app that tracks the user's state and pushes out tailored tips and resources for, as an example, dealing with coronavirus-induced isolation. These were just the first three pitches I saw yesterday when I tuned in to the Army's webcast of its xTechSearch 4 pitches. Originally planned to happen before a live audience at AUSA's Global Force conference in Huntsville, they're now running online this week as a social distancing precaution. The Army already has the lion's share of the Defense Department's medical assets, since it has both the most personnel and the biggest role in humanitarian disaster response, and the service is playing a leading role in the government-wide response. It's also eagerly pursuing new technology. The 2020 edition of Army's Shark Tank-style competition for innovative technologies – with $1.7 million in prizes at stake this year, $1.2 million in this week's round alone – started long before COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, China. But with the Army acutely interested in advanced medical science, it's understandable that several of the competitors are working on projects relevant to the coronavirus. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/03/covid-19-biotech-innovators-pitch-army-rapid-test-kits-more