coronavirus testing vials

Bloomfield, NJ-based Juniper Communities on Monday announced a partnership with a machine learning algorithm company for data-driven, rapid COVID-19 testing.

The partnership enables Juniper Communities — which operates seniors housing communities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado — to use Dascena’s advanced analytics to determine which residents are at highest risk of contracting the novel coronavirus and have the greatest need for COVID-19 testing. 

Juniper will use the Oakland, CA-based company’s molecular laboratory to speed up turnaround times and lower the cost of routine COVID-19 diagnostic testing of residents. 

“This work is the first stop on a roadmap which we trust will afford us and others in our industry access to rapid, effective and less expensive testing that will also be easier to administer,” Lynne Katzmann, president and founder of Juniper Communities, said in a statement. “With access to Dascena’s advanced algorithm and diagnostic testing capabilities, we believe we will facilitate earlier and more effective detection and help our communities pull through these unprecedented times.”

Dascena was selected by the National Institutes of Health to participate in the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative to speed innovation in the development, commercialization and implementation of COVID-19 technologies.

“Delays in the detection and reporting of COVID-19 can contribute significantly to adverse outcomes,” said Jonathan Roberts, Dascena’s vice president of strategy. “Not only can we assist in identifying individuals at high risk of contracting COVID-19 through our machine learning algorithms, but we can also promptly perform economical testing and efficiently report back whether or not individuals have COVID-19 through our molecular CLIA laboratory.”