COVID-19 test maker MicroGEM will create 100s of jobs at new Ogden plant

A Virginia-based molecular diagnostics company has announced it will put a COVID-19 saliva test manufacturing operation in Ogden, splitting 500 new jobs with another new production facility in New Hampshire.

MicroGEM said its 69,000-square-foot Ogden facility and the new plant in Hudson, New Hampshire, will be able to produce 160,000 tests daily, and the company has set a goal of 4 million tests per month by April. The test, called Spitfire 6830, is a SARS-CoV-2 detection system for both asymptomatic and symptomatic people.

The expansion announcement occurred on the same day that MicroGEM announced its acquisition of Jump Start Manufacturing LLC, a Nashua, New Hampshire-based engineering company with success in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Financial terms were not disclosed.

MicroGEM also has a pilot-scale manufacturing facility in Charlottesville, Virginia.

MicroGEM did not reveal the address for the new Ogden facility nor provide a specific job count. However, a Salt Lake City TV station quoted an Ogden City official who said a vacant building at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and 2nd Street will be used and have about 200 new jobs.

MicroGEM did say that the hiring process is underway. A company representative said Ogden was selected because of its “business-friendly climate with close proximity to suppliers and a solid workforce.” The company plans to sustain long-term manufacturing at the facility after the pandemic ends.

“We are proud to join forces with the talented Jump Start team to accelerate the production and deployment of our innovative Spitfire 6830 COVID-19 testing system,” said Jeff Chapman, MicroGEM’s CEO. “Bringing Jump Start’s leading manufacturing capabilities and expertise under the MicroGEM umbrella and dramatically expanding our production capabilities will ensure that more Americans have greater access to high-quality COVID-19 tests — bringing key tools to help end this devastating pandemic.”

The Spitfire 6830 system is in final stages of development, with preparations underway for a submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization. The Spitfire project has been funded in part by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative with federal funds from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the NIH.

“The unique capability of Spitfire to quickly provide highly sensitive and specific identification of SARS-CoV-2 from saliva samples puts MicroGEM at the cutting edge of point-of-need diagnostics,” said Jump Start founder Thomas Moran, who joins MicroGEM as chief operations officer overseeing all manufacturing locations and activities.

“Jump Start is thrilled to join the MicroGEM team, enabling us to help bring this low-cost, high-quality test to market while ensuring our Jump Start customers continue to receive the high-touch service they expect and deserve.”

MicroGEM says it is “democratizing” molecular diagnostics by moving molecular techniques out of conventional, highly skilled laboratories to non-laboratory settings. The company says it is creating portable diagnostic devices that represent the next generation of rapid, point-of-need solutions for the management of infectious diseases and other personalized medicine applications.

Jump Start was established in 2006 and has managed product launches for a variety of biotech and pharmaceutical companies, with expertise in medical devices. Its engineering offerings include machine design, manufacturing engineering and a mechanical engineering laboratory. Its expertise includes complex projects such as self-heating products, high-precision medical infusion systems and drug delivery systems.

“I am thrilled to welcome MicroGEM to Ogden as the First District becomes part of their critical work to provide rapid COVID-19 tests to thousands of Americans each day,” said U.S. Rep. Blake Moore, whose district includes Ogden. “MicroGEM will bring hundreds of jobs to the Ogden area, allowing Northern Utah to keep answering the call to the pressing challenges presented by the pandemic.”