TUCSON, Arizona–HTG, Inc., provider of the quantitative Nuclease Protection Assay (qNPA™), today announced it has signed a contract with Arizona State University to provide gene expression assay and development services as part of a multi-institutional research program. As the core gene expression technology in the program, HTG’s qNPA technology will be used to build tests that rapidly measure an individual’s level of exposure to radiation in the event of a radiological or nuclear incident.

“Our work with ASU in this research program will further establish HTG’s qNPA technology as a robust diagnostic platform. We are thrilled to be part of this multi-institutional program and believe our multiplex gene expression platform is ideally suited for this important application”

Arizona State University will lead the $40.8 million program and oversee the research program management, coordination and integration necessary for efficient and effective development of the system. The five-year contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) emphasizes the development of prototypes that would enable testing of thousands of individuals a day, permitting more rapid and effective triage of large numbers of patients than is currently possible. HTG’s contribution to the effort represents approximately $12 million of total program value for the company.

“Our work with ASU in this research program will further establish HTG’s qNPA technology as a robust diagnostic platform. We are thrilled to be part of this multi-institutional program and believe our multiplex gene expression platform is ideally suited for this important application,” said TJ Johnson, President and CEO, HTG.

“We have assembled a dream team of institutions and companies to catalyze our team’s research and discovery efforts, and translate the advances into a field-deployable technology,” said Carl Yamashiro, PhD, the principal investigator at ASU’s Biodesign Institute who will direct the effort. “The beauty of this system is its versatility,” said Yamashiro. “Not only will we be developing a system for the effective response to a nuclear or radiologic event that could affect a large population but the high-throughout platform can also be used to advance genomics testing and other routine laboratory procedures measuring gene expression levels.”

“Our objective is to develop a qNPA-based radiation test and an instrument that can perform many different routine diagnostic tests by measuring gene activity, depending on the specific test kit loaded onto the platform. With the simplicity and throughput qNPA Technology provides, local hospital personnel can triage thousands of patients per day for radiation exposure in the event of a nuclear or radiologic incident by loading the radiation exposure test kits which can be easily stockpiled,” said Bruce Seligmann, PhD, Founder and CSO of HTG and Principal Investigator on the BARDA contract.

About HTG

Privately-held HTG is based in Tucson, Arizona. Investors in the company include Solstice Capital, Valley Ventures, Merck Capital Ventures, Village Ventures and Arcturus Capital. Additional information is available at https://www.htgenomics.com.