Ceres Nanosciences, Inc. will expand its operation in Prince William County’s Innovation Park, Virginia, to increase the manufacturing capacity of its Nanotrap Magnetic Virus Particles for COVID-19 tests.
The project will create up to 50 new jobs in the engineering, advanced manufacturing, and materials sciences fields over the next three years and help establish a stable supply of testing reagents to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensure future readiness.
Ceres Nanosciences is a privately held company located in Prince William County, focused on incorporating its novel Nanotrap particle technology into a range of diagnostic and research products and workflows.
The Nanotrap particle technology can improve diagnostic testing by capturing, concentrating, and preserving low abundance analytes from biological samples. The Nanotrap particle technology was developed with support from the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Schmidt Futures, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
In September 2020, Ceres was awarded a $6.57 million contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADxSM) initiative. The RADx initiative was launched by NIH to speed innovation in the development, commercialization, and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing.
Ceres’ Nanotrap Magnetic Virus Particles improve diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 by eliminating the need for RNA extraction kits, reducing sample processing time, and improving the sensitivity of the downstream assays in point-of-care systems and in high-throughput laboratory developed tests.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Prince William County to secure the project for Virginia and will support Ceres Nanosciences’ job creation through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program (VJIP), which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs in order to support employee recruitment and training activities.
As a business incentive supporting economic development, VJIP reduces the human resource costs of new and expanding companies. VJIP is state-funded, demonstrating Virginia’s commitment to enhancing job opportunities for citizens. ■