Alveo and Corteva Announce Partnership for Handheld, Point-of-Care Agriculture Testing Solution
Alveo Technologies, Inc. has entered into a collaboration with Corteva Agriscience, aiming to expand the use of its molecular sensing and disease diagnostics technology into the realm of agriculture. The endeavor marks the introduction of a first-of-its-kind agricultural disease diagnostic tool to the agricultural sector. Most plant pathogen testing today is done through submitting crop samples to centralized laboratories for analysis.
Alveo Technologies has developed, the be.well™ platform, a highly portable, handheld medical-grade platform that integrates advanced molecular assays with cloud-based data analytics, facilitating real-time disease analysis and pathogen detection. The be.well™ platform is a point-of-care infectious disease diagnostic system that employs the company’s direct electrical sensing of nucleic acid amplification. This technology eliminates the need for specialized lighting and expensive optical detectors, simplifying primer manufacturing and enhancing the overall reliability of the diagnostic tool. Corteva scientists will leverage this platform to develop agricultural assays, utilizing three core components: the be.well™ Analyzer, a portable, palm-sized, rechargeable device; the be.well™ Cartridge containing necessary reagents for isothermal amplification; and the be.well Mobile App, which offers guidance for administering the test, cloud connectivity for reporting and tracking results, and advanced analytics for deeper insights into pathogen behavior. The technology is CE IVD marked for molecular testing.
Alveo’s CEO, Shaun Holt, expressed the groundbreaking nature of this collaboration, highlighting the development of a mobile “molecular lab” that delivers highly specific and sensitive diagnostic testing precisely where it’s needed. This capability has the potential to address some of the world’s most complex issues, such as pandemics and global food crises. The partnership with Corteva represents Alveo’s core commitment to extend the reach of molecular testing beyond healthcare and into various applications, including agriculture.