The US monkeypox testing marketing is booming as demand surges in the sector. According to the latest research from Arizton, the market size is expected to reach a massive 91 thousand by 2025. It will also be valued at $5 million. Since there is now more research than ever in the field of monkeypox, testing labs across the country have been working hard to expand the services that they offer. Chad Price, MAKO Medical Laboratories CEO, is at the forefront of these ongoing efforts to understand the virus.
Thanks to the ongoing research activities and the speedy development of testing methods, experts in the medical industry are now well-versed on monkeypox. As the virus expands around the world, these scientists have the power to stay ahead of the curve. Utilizing lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world have acted quickly in response to the outburst of cases that we first saw a couple of years ago. In the following article, we will discuss the monkeypox market expansion and the clear role that Chad Price, MAKO Medical Laboratories CEO, has played in combating the spread.
An opportunity for new research and testing means
While human monkeypox dates back to 1970, recent years have seen a troubling outbreak sweep the nation. Prior to the latest surge in cases, the limited instances of monkeypox were confined to rural areas, mostly in the Congo Basin. Human cases of the virus have grown over the years and have been reported in countries across Africa including Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.
The World Health Organization named monkeypox a “disease of global public health importance” since it not only impacts civilians in Africa, but also has the potential to spread across the rest of the world. Back in 2003, the first cases of monkeypox outside of Africa took place in the United States, where the infections were linked to contact with pet prairie dogs. This was followed by an outbreak of around 70 human monkeypox cases in the US.
Since then, we have seen human monkeypox cases in people traveling between Nigeria and Israel in 2018. Fast-forward to May 2022, and there were multiple cases of human monkeypox in many of the non-endemic countries. To curb the spread of the potentially fatal virus, researchers are now running studies to understand the source of infection, the possible transmission patterns, and the epidemiology of it. It is vital that we learn as much information as possible about the monkeypox virus so that we can protect the population.
Critical research carried out in the United States
Due to the surge in cases and the demand for expansive research, the US government has identified areas of study which will help to advance our understanding of the latest monkeypox outbreak. As such, the government has also set aside $140 million to support high-priority research projects in this sector. This move means that there is now a greater opportunity for testing laboratories and research centers across the United States. The research ranges dramatically from serologic surveys and observational epidemiological to large scale clinical studies, looking at the effects that the virus may produce long-term.
This increase in the monkeypox testing market has set the stage for some of the best healthcare research companies to launch projects. One such business is Chad Price’s MAKO Medical Laboratories. The national reference laboratory has announced that it has completed the validations for the PCR-based monkeypox-specific assay developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific. The collaboration will give researchers more power when it comes to testing for early signs of the virus and identifying cases all across the US.
“As the international outbreak of this concerning new virus continues to grow, MAKO Medical is taking a proactive approach. We are pleased to partner with Thermo Fisher Scientific once again to validate their monkeypox assay,” said Josh Arant, Chief Operating Officer, MAKO Medical Laboratories. “MAKO Medical is always on the cutting edge of test development and is committed to providing public health authorities with the tools they need to oversee an effective response.”
The collaboration is in response to the increased necessity of surveillance testing in the United States. When the project was set up last year, there were fewer than 100 laboratories that had the ability to deal with the incoming monkeypox specimens so that they were ready to be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, the new wave Applied Biosystems TaqMan Monkeypox Virus Microbe Detection Assay allowed scientists to offer additional testing resources and fully track the virus.
Chad Price, MAKO Medical Laboratories CEO, has worked hard to establish a longstanding collaboration between the business and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The two medical companies previously banded together during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a diverse system of testing for the novel virus. Since April 2020, MAKO Medical Laboratories processed more than 12 million COVID-19 tests using the Thermo Fisher RT-PCR. With that in mind, this latest collaboration will allow the team to continue their virus research.
“Similar to our efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are committed to providing genomic tools necessary to help address the Monkeypox outbreak,” said Manoj Gandhi, Senior Director of Medical Affairs for Genetic Testing Solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We will continue to work with our customers and regulatory agencies to bring these products to market.”
The future of virus testing and research
Headed up by entrepreneur Chad Price, MAKO Medical Laboratories is spearheading much of the modern-day monkeypox testing and research. As such, the business has been listed as one of the key vendors by Arizton and the researchers. The laboratories boast well-developed monkeypox tests which can be relied on in ongoing studies. Looking toward the future, the business is set to play a central role in global virus management, especially when it comes to creating viable and accurate wide scale testing services.
