HARTFORD—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Wednesday that innovator Detect in Guilford has been named Innovator of the Month. Detect was founded in July 2018 by New Haven native Dr. Jonathan Rothberg as part of the Connecticut-based 4Catalyzer health technology incubator, which combines cutting edge learning and molecular biology to reduce the cost and complexity of life-saving medical devices.

As public health experts show that widespread testing of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals is essential to defeating COVID-19, Detect developed the Detect COVID-19 test. This innovation is designed to be a lab-accurate, fast, and easy molecular diagnostic COVID-19 test that does not require expensive lab equipment to enable more extensive testing.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Detect COVID-19 test aimed to bring the power of complex laboratory diagnostics to the places where people live, from the point of care to in the home. They strive to solve complex health care issues and accomplish public health goals outside the laboratory walls.

“Throughout COVID-19, innovators across America and right here in Connecticut stepped up through medical research and new strategies to help us combat this virus and keep Americans safe. Detect has made huge strides to create fast and easy at-home COVID-19 testing in a short amount of time. I am proud to highlight their work, and grateful for their efforts to help us get ahead of COVID-19,” said Murphy.

“To protect the public’s health, widespread, frequent testing is more important than ever,” said Jonathan M. Rothberg, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman of Detect. “The Detect COVID-19 test combines the accuracy of a PCR test with the speed and simplicity of an antigen test, without needing a lab or a prescription. Once authorized, the Detect test will play a critical role in defeating this virus, reopening the economy, and providing peace of mind to the millions of people worried about their health and the well-being of their loved ones. We look forward to continuing to develop and launch the Detect COVID-19 test from our base of operations in Connecticut and are honored to have been named Innovator of the Month by Senator Murphy.”

Detect currently has approximately 70 employees in Connecticut. They currently are in the middle of their clinical trials and their test is not yet authorized for use by the FDA.

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are the building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies – the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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