Day Zero Diagnostics Awarded $8.2 Million in Additional CARB-X Funding To Support Ongoing Development of its Infectious Disease Rapid Diagnostic

DZD Will Continue Clinical Validation and Product Engineering of its Novel Technology Designed to Reduce Time to Diagnosis from Days to Hours

BOSTON and WASHINGONTON, D.C.–October 20, 2022 – Day Zero Diagnostics Inc., an infectious disease diagnostics company utilizing genome sequencing and machine learning to combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced it was awarded $8.2 million in additional option stage funding from CARB-X, the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator, a global non-profit partnership dedicated to accelerating early antibacterial research and development to address the rising global threat of drug-resistant bacteria. The company received an initial $6.2 million CARB-X award in May of 2020. This latest award brings the total to over $16 million.

Day Zero Diagnostics is developing whole genome sequencing-based diagnostic technologies that can identify, within hours, both the species and the antibiotic resistance profile of a bacterial pathogen from a blood sample, eliminating the need for a culture. In cases of severe infection like sepsis, current approaches to antibiotic resistance testing take days, significantly increasing the risk of death. Antibiotic resistance was directly responsible for 1.3 million deaths globally in 2019, killing more people than HIV/AIDS or malaria. Day Zero’s revolutionary approach to diagnosing infectious diseases, particularly their antibiotic resistance profile, has the potential to save lives while reducing the economic burden of severe infections.

“We greatly appreciate CARB-X’s continued support as we pioneer a new class of infectious disease diagnostics that leverage whole genome sequencing and machine learning to enable rapid identification of pathogens and their antibiotic resistance profile. Day Zero Diagnostics is determined to bend the curve on antibiotic resistance growth by enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis,” said Jong Lee, CEO of Day Zero Diagnostics. “This latest CARB-X award validates the tremendous progress our team of scientists and engineers have made in bringing these novel technologies to maturity and demonstrating the tremendous potential of genome sequencing technology in combating antibiotic resistance. CARB-X’s continued support now focuses on productizing these technologies so we can help fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance.”

“We are pleased to support Day Zero Diagnostics’ development of its rapid infectious disease diagnostic technology,” said Erin Duffy, Ph.D., Chief of Research and Development at CARB-X. “Day Zero’s whole genome sequencing and machine learning technology is a novel approach that could change the way infectious disease is diagnosed, help curb antibiotic resistance, and save lives.”

Option Stage funding from CARB-X will enable Day Zero to transition into product development of its diagnostic system. The ultimate goal of the program is the launching of FDA cleared and CE Marked in-vitro diagnostic instrument and cartridge system. The system will provide a sample-to-answer solution that incorporates the capabilities of the company’s novel technologies, including Blood2Bac™, a proprietary sample preparation technology for ultra-high enrichment of bacterial DNA from clinical blood samples and Keynome®, Day Zero’s machine learning algorithm for species identification and resistance profiling. The company will also continue to expand MicrohmDB®, a proprietary large-scale database combining pathogen genomic sequences with their known antibiotic resistance and susceptibility profiles.

Day Zero Diagnostics announced the news today from IDWeek in Washington, D.C.

Acknowledgement and disclaimer:
Research reported in this press release is supported by CARB-X. CARB-X’s funding for this project is provided by Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under agreement number: 75A50122C00028, and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders.

About Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global crisis, where the spread of drug resistance is outpacing the development of new antibiotics.

Infections due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria are more dangerous for patients and more difficult and expensive to treat. They often require extended hospital stays, additional follow-up doctor visits, and more costly and toxic alternative treatments.

As drug-resistant bacteria become more common, so will deaths from life-threatening infections like sepsis, which is the body’s unregulated immune response to a severe bloodstream infection. A study in The Lancetestimates that in 2019, 1.27 million deaths were attributable to bacterial antimicrobial resistance and a 2016 review of antimicrobial resistance estimated that as many as 10 million deaths annually would be caused by antimicrobial resistance by 2050.

Early and effective treatment of antibiotic resistant infections has been proven to save lives. However, current technologies cannot provide actionable information quickly enough to enable early, targeted antibiotic treatment.

About Day Zero Diagnostics

Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc., based in Boston, is pioneering a new class of infectious disease diagnostics using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and machine learning to revolutionize how the world fights the growing threat of antibiotic resistance. The company’s mission is to change the way infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated by rapidly identifying both the species and the antibiotic resistance profile of severe infections from a blood sample, without the need for a culture. In 2022, the company launched its WGS-based Day Zero Lab Services, leveraging its proprietary technologies and highly curated databases of pathogens for managing healthcare-associated infection outbreaks and making high-impact clinical decisions. Day Zero Diagnostics was founded in 2016 by a team of clinicians and scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. The company has been recognized as a leading innovator by CARB-X, UCSF Health, American Association of Clinical Chemistry, MedTech Innovator, TedMed Hive and MassChallenge HealthTech. To learn more visit our website and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About CARB-X

CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X supports innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. CARB-X funds only projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO, with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list. https://carb-x.org/ | Twitter @CARB_X

Media contact:

Helen Shik
Shik Communications
helen@shikcommunications.com
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