PDS Awarded SBIR Phase II

Portable Diagnostic Systems, Inc. (PDS) today announced it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract under Topic 167 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The contract supports the development of the Integrity-1 Analysis System, a next-generation portable drug testing platform designed to bring rapid, accurate, and affordable postmortem toxicology screening to the field.

The Integrity-1 Analysis System leverages advances in antibody engineering, biosensors, and microfluidics to deliver laboratory-quality results in a compact, easy-to-use format. Building on successful Phase I development, the Phase II program will adapt the technology for postmortem toxicology applications, a critical need in medicolegal death investigations.

Under the contract, PDS will:

1. Expand the drug detection panel to 20 or more analytes, aiming for a “moonshot” goal of 34 drugs listed in the 2021 ANSI/ASB Standard 119 for Forensic Toxicological Testing of Blood in Medicolegal Death Investigations.

2. Validate performance against LC-MS through a method validation study and comparative analysis.

3. Enhance test stability with advanced stabilization chemistry targeting a one-year room-temperature shelf life.

4. Prepare for scalable manufacturing of the lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device for future commercial release.

5. Integrate machine vision and AI-driven QC to improve robustness, establish test validity parameters, and optimize software and firmware for market readiness.

“This contract marks a major step toward transforming how postmortem toxicology is conducted,” said Glennon Simmons, CEO of Portable Diagnostic Systems. “Our goal is to equip forensic and medicolegal professionals with a powerful, field-deployable tool that can provide rapid and reliable insight into the drugs present in fatal overdose cases—saving time, resources, and ultimately helping communities respond more effectively to the overdose crisis.”

By the end of the Phase II program, PDS aims to deliver a commercialization-ready Integrity-1 Analysis System that will improve the speed and quality of toxicology screening in death investigations, supporting public health and public safety agencies nationwide.

About Portable Diagnostic Systems

Portable Diagnostic Systems, Inc. develops advanced point-of-care testing solutions using cutting-edge microfluidics, biosensors, and AI analytics. The company’s mission is to make high-performance diagnostic testing accessible anywhere, empowering better, faster decision-making in healthcare, forensic, and public safety settings.