A request for project proposal through Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium was issued by the US Army on Monday to develop wearable pre-symptom COVID-19 detector. Army wants to develop wearable detection technology that can scan possible coronavirus infection and alert the wearer and people around.
According to the notice, Department of Defense has made available around $25 million for this program with Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium and is expected to make 10 awards for the same. Physiological surveillance of COVID-19 patients that do not show clear symptoms is the main objective of this project.
Department prefers a single device but combination of devices are also acceptable. It should be designed to be easily worn and must not affect daily activities of the wearer. "Device(s) should be designed to be worn for continuous physiological monitoring in a non-obtrusive manner and should not affect the daily activity of the wearer," the notice states.
Technology should meet requirements
Detector should offer the results that can be interpreted by non-laboratory professional easily and can be stored in secure format. It should be able to perform between 4 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius. Till the exposure is verified or medical professionals consider that device is not needed any longer, the device should be worn.
Physiological indicators should not be limited to just early symptoms of COVID-19 disease like elevated temperature, respiratory difficulty, cough, among others but it should be able to provide sufficient markers that are required to provide evidence of coronavirus diagnosis.
Manufacturer must have FDA approval
The winning bidder will have to work through necessary Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals and acquire Emergency Use Authorization within 45 days of Period of Performance. MTEC has suspended its members-only submission requirement due to crucial need to deploy the technology during mid-crisis.
"Due to the critical and urgent nature of the technical topic area, MTEC membership is NOT required for the submission of an Enhanced White Paper in response to this MTEC RPP," notice reads. However, MTEC implemented "Enhanced White Paper" contract scheme that will be accelerated if chosen for award.
