HelixBind announced today it has landed a $3 million federal grant to help develop a test to diagnose bloodstream infections associated with sepsis.

The FDA granted Breakthrough Device Designation to the RaPID/BSI test and platform in 2020. Boxborough, Mass.-based HelixBind’s RaPID platform can provide definitive identification and characterization of infections directly from a blood draw within hours (versus days with current methods), according to the company.

Sepsis is caused by a severe immune response to a bloodstream infection and the prognosis for septic patients deteriorates hourly. Although appropriate antimicrobials are available for the large majority of these infections, patients afflicted with sepsis often do not receive the right treatment quickly enough, leading to poor outcomes, including death.

Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X), a global non-profit working to accelerate research to tackle the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria, has also supported the development of RaPID/BSI.

“We are grateful for the continued support from the NIH for our RaPID diagnostic platform and for the recognition of RaPID/BSI’s potential to improve outcomes for patients with sepsis by more quickly and accurately identifying bloodstream infections,” said HelixBind CEO Alon Singer in a news release. “This latest grant will help accelerate our work to bring RaPID/BSI to market.”