Diagnostics at the Front Line: Completing Our Contract with the UK Ministry of Defence

The history of rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) is a relatively short one. Basic bedside diagnostics a century ago quickly progressed to complex central labs, and now, increasingly back towards medics, healthcare professionals and even patients with sophisticated, rapid, and portable diagnostic tools at the point of care. 

The recent progression in technology has been reflected by a cycle driven by clinical need and technological innovation, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the development, manufacturing scale-up, regulatory approval, and public adoption of RDT and molecular tests, highlighting their critical role in public health emergencies and military applications.

Developing and implementing rapid field-testing for infectious diseases is the heart of our research and development.

In field-operations - whether military or humanitarian - infectious disease is a constant threat. Testing for these diseases relies on slow laboratory infrastructure. By partnering with the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), part of the UK Ministry of Defence, Pictura Bio has been pushing the boundaries with what’s possible in controlling the spread of infectious diseases at the front line.

Two years ago we were awarded a £500k contract to develop a ruggedised, point-of-care diagnostic system - specifically designed for front-line environments to deliver real-time infectious disease identification with limited infrastructure, power, or cold chain logistics. Addressing these complexities required coordinated efforts involving researchers, developers, and manufacturers to ensure that an effective and accessible rapid diagnostic process is developed and deployed where it is needed the most.

The development of the Pictura Bio front-line device will be powered by patented fluorescent labelling, fluorescence microscopy, and machine learning — delivering results in under 5 minutes. It can test for multiple infectious diseases in rapid time and tested in simulated forward field operations to withstand spartan conditions: battery operation, and ease-of-use.

Early and accurate infectious disease diagnosis is a critical aspect of military preparedness and public health. 

Rapid diagnostic tools and protocols not only provide a tactical advantage to armed forces by maintaining the health and operational readiness of personnel but also serve as a safeguard for the general population.

Rapid diagnostics play a crucial role in ensuring mission success. This is particularly important in deployed settings, where access to healthcare resources may be limited and the risk of disease transmission is heightened. In addition to safeguarding military personnel, rapid diagnostics also contribute to the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict or humanitarian crises by quickly identifying and containing infectious disease outbreaks and helping prevent the rapid spread of illness to vulnerable populations. 

With the DASA contract complete, Pictura Bio is positioned as a versatile technology, adaptable for both military and civilian healthcare applications. It also confirms our ability to adapt our core technology for field use and creates opportunities for future collaboration with UK and allied defence organisations, emergency response teams, and border health services. The system will be deployed to field hospitals, disaster response zones, rural health systems and civil biodefense applications.

A crucial test and validation for near-instant diagnostics

This contract served as a crucial test and validation of our vision, and we are grateful to DASA and the UK MoD for their invaluable support and collaboration. This project marked a major technical milestone — and our first revenue-generating contract. As we progress towards securing seed funding and expanding our commercial reach, this accomplishment distinctly highlights the key differentiators of our platform: its remarkable speed, unparalleled flexibility, and readiness for deployment in the most critical and demanding environments.

Our ultimate vision is to integrate mobile phone cameras with our core technology, enabling true point-of-care diagnostics directly on a smartphone, bringing lab-grade performance to the front lines of care.