Yukon Medical Receives NIH Funding for ClearTip™ Collection Swabs
DURHAM, N.C., January 12, 2021 – Yukon Medical today announced it has been awarded up to $9.4 million by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) initiative to expedite the launch of the company’s non-absorbent, injection-molded ClearTip™ swabs used for the collection of upper respiratory specimens. Yukon Medical’s ClearTip swabs are manufactured from a medical-grade, biocompatible polymer molded in an ISO Class 8 medical cleanroom. The swabs have been designed to optimize the collection of upper respiratory samples while allowing the sample to be fully recovered without being absorbed into the swab.
“We are pleased to be supported by the NIH to accelerate the launch of our swab to be able to provide the supplies needed,” said Yukon Medical CEO, Todd Korogi. “This funding enables us to leverage the capabilities currently in our business to address the expected shortfall of swabs that will be needed in the coming months to dramatically expand testing capacity.”
Yukon Medical partnered with local medical device design, development and manufacturing company Gilero to assist in the development and testing of the ClearTip swab project. Gilero is also packaging the swabs and managing sterilization at their manufacturing facility in Pittsboro, NC. Gilero CEO, Ted Mosler, shared, “Yukon Medical has awarded us this opportunity to continue making a difference in healthcare. The funding from NIH is going to allow this project to scale as the demand for COVID-19 testing continues to increase. Gilero will have the capacity to produce roughly 28 million swabs per month, and we’re excited to scale up production as we help to support Yukon Medical.”
The RADx initiative seeks to significantly increase the number, type, and availability of tests by millions per week. The technologies supported by the program are expected to make a significant contribution to expanding the nation’s testing capacity. This project has been funded in part by the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) initiative with federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. 75N92021C00002.
To learn more about Yukon Medical and the Yukon ClearTip Swab, visit www.yukonmedical.com.
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