Shepherd Ventures III portfolio company AmplifiDX Secures Added Non-Dilutive Funding
Shepherd Ventures III
NIH funds to AmplifiDX now total $5.7 million to develop technology to diagnose infections at the Point-of-Care and determine drug resistance quickly
AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- AmplifiDx, a Shepherd Ventures III portfolio company offering proprietary point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technology for Sexually Transmitted Disease, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded an additional $100,000 in non-dilutive funding from the NIH Point-of-Care Diagnostics (POCTRN) program. This award brings the company’s total NIH funding to approximately $5.6 million. The ultimate aim is to combat the rise in drug-resistant infections as well as improve treatment outcomes. Shepherd Ventures III has committed to lead a commercialization round after FDA 510(K) clearance.
The new funding will support the final stages of development of the AmplifiDx DX 100 Platform, which runs the company's STI NG Plus™ Test – a rapid (<15 minutes), ultra-sensitive molecular diagnostic test designed to detect and differentiate a variety of STD infections including Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), fluoroquinolone-resistant mutant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). This system allows medical providers to complete the diagnosis of infection and determine appropriate treatment during a single patient visit rather than waiting days for lab results. This improves treatment outcomes and reducing the risks of antibiotic resistance.
This additional funding will utilize the Center for Innovative Diagnostics and Infectious Disease (CIDID) benchtop evaluation services to assess the performance of the AmplifiDX test on vaginal swabs and urine. The evaluation will include contrived specimens and clinical remnant samples from the CIDID biorepository – both negative and positive – allowing assessment of sensitivity, specificity, and usability.
This project is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number 5U54EB007958-18 through the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), with additional support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and the NIH Office of the Director (OD).
"AmplifiDx is proud to participate in the POCTRN program to combat the rise in drug-resistant infections by offering resistance-informed results in minutes, enabling precise treatment decisions that improve patient outcomes and support antimicrobial stewardship," said Nancy Schoenbrunner, CEO of AmplifiDx.
"Shepherd Ventures III is looking forward to the commercialization of the AmplifiDX system as a major leap forward in the care of STD infections. This non-dilutive funding improves the potential returns for investors both in the current seed round and later rounds," said George C. Kenney, Co-managing partner of Shepherd Ventures III. "The level of commitment displayed by the founding team is extraordinary, ensuring the team will remain intact and execute competently through all future rounds until exit."
AmplifiDX is a medical device developer that supplies diagnostic and clinical decision support equipment for the Point-of-care environment, intending to greatly improve treatment outcomes while reducing the problem of antibiotic resistance, without sacrificing accuracy. Shepherd Ventures III is a Venture Capital Fund specializing in Medical Technology (MedTech) and AI applications, with a particular expertise in assessing the founding team.
Robert S. Kramarz
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