Federal Directive Spurs R&D Focus on Rapid Diagnostics for Vector-Borne Diseases

A federal order spotlights rapid testing as local agencies seek faster detection of mosquito- and tick-borne pathogens.

Image: National Institute of Standards and Technology / Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Source: Clinical Lab Products, by CLP Edit Staff (October 8, 2026). AI-generated summary by biochip.com, published . Not independently reviewed.

Key takeaways

  • A federal executive order gives HHS 90 days to launch R&D programs or prize competitions for rapid tick- and mosquito-borne pathogen diagnostics.
  • Co-Diagnostics reports 40 Vector Smart customer accounts across 21 states for decentralized multiplex PCR mosquito surveillance.
  • The order does not specify funding amounts, program evaluation criteria, or which diagnostic technologies HHS will support.

A federal executive order has directed the US Department of Health and Human Services to create research and development programs or prize competitions for rapid tests that identify pathogens carried by ticks and mosquitoes. The initiatives must be launched within 90 days as part of a Washington, DC-wide vector control campaign intended to provide a national model. The directive arrives as Co-Diagnostics promotes its Vector Smart molecular surveillance platform, which lets local agencies test mosquito samples on site rather than sending them to distant laboratories. Faster local detection could help mosquito-control programs act on evidence of circulating pathogens sooner.

A federal push for faster detection

Vector-borne diseases are infections transmitted by organisms such as mosquitoes and ticks. The federal order calls for enhanced detection and suppression of these threats, while also directing HHS to incorporate commercial capabilities and advanced technologies into its efforts.

The order does not name particular diagnostic products. Instead, it establishes a policy push for rapid tools that can identify tick- and mosquito-borne pathogens, creating a potential opening for systems designed for decentralized public health testing.

Moving molecular testing closer to the field

Traditional mosquito surveillance can require field teams to ship collected insects to an outside laboratory and wait for results. Decentralized testing moves that work closer to the collection site, much as a neighborhood weather station can provide local conditions without waiting for a regional forecast.

Co-Diagnostics says its Vector Smart system allows mosquito abatement districts and public health agencies to process pools of mosquitoes in house. The platform uses multiplex polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a laboratory method that detects genetic material, to look for more than one target in a single test.

Vector Smart assays are designed to detect pathogens associated with West Nile virus, Eastern and Western equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Several of those mosquito-borne threats fall within the federal initiative's focus on enhanced detection and suppression.

Existing deployments

Co-Diagnostics reports that its Vector Smart surveillance system has reached 40 customer accounts in 21 US states, including several Utah counties. The company also reports full laboratory installations in Florida and Indiana, along with an independent evaluation of its Vector Smart VZDC assay by an unnamed state public health laboratory.

In September 2026, Co-Diagnostics completed its first international deployment after receiving an order from an overseas US Air Force base. The installation marked the company's first operational placement with the US Air Force.

Why This Matters

Mosquito surveillance is most useful when results can inform local decisions while control programs can still respond. A platform that detects pathogen genetic material locally could shorten the distance between collecting mosquitoes, identifying a risk, and adjusting monitoring or suppression activities.

The federal directive places rapid diagnostics alongside population-control measures, recognizing that public health agencies need information as well as intervention tools. Co-Diagnostics plans to continue discussions with public health and government stakeholders as implementation plans develop, and Joseph Featherstone, the company's executive vice president of business development, is scheduled to discuss diagnostic tools at the Utah Global Health Leadership roundtable on October 9, 2026.

How the federal programs will be structured, funded, and assessed remains to be determined. Those decisions will help establish whether decentralized molecular surveillance platforms become a broader component of vector-borne disease preparedness.

Topics: Diagnostics & precision medicine

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