Virolock Technologies was spun out of Penn State to commercialise a portable device that boosts early detection of viral infections.
Virolock Technologies, a medical device spinout of Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), has received $75,000 from the Fund for Innovation, an investment vehicle of Invent Penn State.
Invent Penn State is a program launched by Penn State in 2015 to boost entrepreneurship across the US state of Pennsylvania.
Virolock Technologies has developed portable technology that enables early virus detection and speeds up the identification of new viruses from field samples, where concentration can be low and make traditional technologies too expensive, slow or dependent on large-scale equipment.
The technology was developed by Mauricio Terrones, professor of physics, chemistry and materials science in the Eberly College of Science with biomedical researchers Yin-Ting Yeh, Nestor Perea-Lopez and Si-Yang Zheng, associate professor in the College of Engineering.
The money will support the setting up of lab space. Virolock will also use the cash to refine the manufacturing process of its disposable cartridges.
The company previously obtained a $10,000 award following a participation in the Techcelerator @ State College accelerator, supported by Invent Penn State.
Terrones said: “The device allows us to selectively trap and concentrate viruses by their size – smaller than human cells and bacteria, but larger than most proteins and other macromolecules – in incredibly dilute samples.
“It further increases our ability to detect small amounts of a virus by more than 600 times.”
He added: “This could have major impacts on the way we detect and manage viral outbreaks across the globe. The technology could help medical personnel to develop vaccines in a more timely way, and lead to saving countless lives.
“We are excited to bring this technology forward, and to take the next step with Virolock.”