Brisbane firm Ellume gets $42m funding to fast-track COVID-19 test for US market
A Brisbane firm has received $42m from the US Government to fast-track production of its rapid-result COVID-19 tests. But the CEO has flagged a potential shift in manufacturing to America.
QLD Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Brisbane-based diagnostics company Ellume has been awarded $US30m ($42m) to fast track three COVID-19 tests for the US market.
The company will scale up to produce 15 million products a month from its Richlands facility where an extra 500 people have been employed.
Ellume to open new Richlands manufacturing facility, 450 jobs to be advertised
Ellume founder and chief executive Dr Sean Parsons has flagged the company wants to scale up production to 1 million products a day.
There is pressure to move from Queensland to Texas in the United States to manufacture, Dr Parsons told ABC Radio.
An Ellume spokeman said the pressure was coming from “senior members of the US Administration”.
The spokesman said Ellume’s US consultants were currently evaluating options in the Austin area of Texas.
“But Dr Parsons has been on the record saying he wants the manufacturing to stay in Australia as much as possible,” he said.
Ellume would like the state and federal governments to match the US funding to support the rapid scale up of production, the spokesman said.
“At the moment the state and federal governments haven’t engaged with Ellume at all,” he said.
The $US30m in funding is part of the US National Institutes of Health initiative to accelerate clinical testing and manufacturing of COVID-19 tests.
Dr Parsons said its technology would be used to create three distinct COVID-19 antigen tests suited for at-home, point-of-care and laboratory settings, each capable of delivering results in less than 15 minutes.
He said the at-home test allowed people to take their own nasal swab that was then analysed via a Bluetooth-connected device and the person’s smartphone with the result able to be then sent on for real time reporting.
Another version is designed for medical clinics and pharmacies while a third one is for mass rapid testing at places like airports, stadiums and church gatherings.
Manufacturing has begun and tests will launch in the US after they receive emergency use authorisation there. He expects the launch will be before the end of November.
“To be the first Australian diagnostics company to have $US30m support from the US is a notable achievement for us and Queensland-based technology,” Dr Parsons told The Courier-Mail.
