Aug. 12, 2026—Zepto Life Technology has been awarded a contract valued at up to $8.9 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to advance the company’s plasma cell-free DNA liquid biopsy platform for invasive fungal infections. The contract supports the development of Zepto’s integrated molecular diagnostic system, including a planned multicenter clinical study designed to support a future FDA submission if project milestones are met.
Zepto developed the Zepto MDx platform to bring liquid biopsy into infectious disease. It detects pathogen-derived cell-free DNA directly from plasma, enabling targeted identification of infectious pathogens from a standard blood draw. FungiFlex is the first family of tests developed for Zepto MDx, beginning with invasive fungal infections.
The contract includes a funded base period and additional option periods that may be exercised by NIAID as development milestones are achieved. NIAID has made an initial award of $1.9 million to Zepto with further funding of up to a total of $8.9 million available over the course of the contract if all contract options are exercised.