Beckman Coulter awarded expanded partnership with BARDA to assess sepsis diagnostic and prediction algorithm with COVID-19 patients

BREA, Calif., May 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beckman Coulter today announced it was awarded an expanded partnership with BARDA as part of their rapidly expanding COVID-19 medical countermeasure portfolio. The partnership was awarded to Beckman Coulter, in collaboration with Dascena, Inc., for additional advanced research and development toward optimization of a machine-learning based sepsis diagnostic and prediction algorithm to include assessing its use with coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

The sepsis diagnostic and prediction algorithm builds on Beckman Coulter's existing Early Sepsis Indicator, which received FDA 510(k) clearance in April 2019, combining the monocyte distribution width (MDW) novel laboratory test parameter values with Dascena's electronic health record data based machine-learning algorithm to help accurately predict and detect those with sepsis.

"Until recently, the majority of sepsis cases have been thought to be caused by bacterial pathogens," said Shamiram R. Feinglass, M.D., MPH, chief medical officer, Beckman Coulter. "COVID-19 is changing that, and causing a paradigm shift in how we think about sepsis. The aim of the study is to determine whether MDW, as part of the sepsis prediction algorithm, will be able to aid in the detection of sepsis regardless of whether it is bacterial or viral-induced."

"The global impact that COVID-19 has had on the health system is undeniable. It has changed the way the industry thinks about so many things, and sepsis is no exception," said Peter Soltani, Ph.D., senior vice president and general manager of the hematology business unit at Beckman Coulter. "Beckman Coulter is deeply committed to the fight against COVID-19 and has been working diligently to quickly bring quality SARS-CoV-2 serology assays to the market. We are thrilled to expand our partnership with BARDA, so we can extend that commitment to our sepsis research and begin clinical trials that include COVID-19 patients."

"We are excited to deepen our partnership with Beckman Coulter to help respond to the global pandemic that has exacerbated the challenge of sepsis, a condition that already kills an American every two minutes," said Jana Hoffman, Ph.D., vice president of science at Dascena.

This COVID-19 specific study is part of BARDA's Rapidly Deployable Capabilities program to identify and pilot near-term innovative solutions for COVID-19, leveraging the development of Beckman Coulter's digital sepsis prediction algorithm under BARDA's Division of Research Innovation and Venture's (DRIVe's) Solving Sepsis Program.

For more information on Beckman Coulter's Early Sepsis Indicator, visit www.BeckmanCoulter.com/sepsis. For more information on BARDA's rapidly-expanding COVID-19 medical countermeasure portfolio, visit BARDA's COVID-19 Portfolio.

About Beckman Coulter
Beckman Coulter is committed to advancing healthcare for every person by applying the power of science, technology and the passion and creativity of our teams to enhance the diagnostic laboratory's role in improving healthcare outcomes. Our diagnostic systems are used in complex biomedical testing, and are found in hospitals, reference laboratories and physician office settings around the globe. Beckman Coulter offers a unique combination of people, processes and solutions designed to elevate the performance of clinical laboratories and healthcare networks. We do this by accelerating care with a menu that matters, bringing the benefit of automation to all, delivering greater insights through clinical informatics and unlocking hidden value through performance partnership. An operating company of Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR) since 2011, Beckman Coulter is headquartered in Brea, Calif., and has more than 11,000 global associates working diligently to make the world a healthier place.

About Dascena
Dascena, Inc. is developing machine learning diagnostic algorithms to enable early disease intervention and improve care outcomes for patients. For more information, visit Dascena.com.

© 2020 Beckman Coulter. All rights reserved. Beckman Coulter, the stylized logo, and the Beckman Coulter product and service marks mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Beckman Coulter, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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SOURCE Beckman Coulter Diagnostics