Vancouver, British Columbia – TheNewswire – April 29, 2020 – Blackhawk Growth Corp. (CSE:BLR); (CNSX:BLR.CN); (Frankfurt:0JJ); (OTC:BLRZF) (the “Corporation” or “Blackhawk”), is pleased to announce that it has secured an initial purchase order for 1,000 COVID-19 antibody testing kits with a healthcare clinic in Rocklin, California. Blackhawk views this order as an initial stepping-stone that could lead to further orders as the relationship continues to grow and prosper.
“This is an important first step for us,” says Frederick Pels, CEO of Blackhawk Growth. “This initial order was placed by a healthcare clinic in Northern California with the intention of leading to much larger orders in due course. We wanted to start the relationship off on the right track and display our ability to deliver Innovita’s COVID-19 antibody test kits in a timely fashion. This opportunity is intended to showcase what we can do and will assist us in our other ongoing negotiations. We will work with James Saunders and his team at Emergence to make sure this order is placed, delivered and handled efficiently. This is our first order after signing the definitive agreement for these test kits last week, so we’re moving at an incredible pace. We look forward to expanding our reach in the United States as we work to close more deals we are currently negotiating as quickly as possible.”
Given Emergence Technology’s relationship with Innovita and their quality assurance inspector on the floor of their manufacturing site at all times, Blackhawk will look to leverage this relationship to help produce, fulfill and deliver this order and any future orders expeditiously and in a timely fashion. Blackhawk expects to have the COVID-19 antibody testing kits delivered to the clinic in the next thirty days and will update its shareholders when the delivery has arrived.
“We are excited with this initial order,” states James Saunders of Emergence Technology Pty. Ltd. “We look forward to fulfilling this agreement in a timely fashion and being able to prove that we can leverage our relationship with the manufacturer to deliver test kits faster and more efficiently than anyone else in the market today.”
About Innovita’s COVID-19 Antibody Testing Kit
Innovita’s COVID-19 rapid diagnostic test is a point-of-care test (POCT), that can be used in clinics, hospitals, pathology labs or in remote sites administered by healthcare professionals.
The COVID-19 rapid test is a small disposable kit based on lateral flow colloidal gold-based detection technology that detects viral specific IgG/IgM antibodies present in a few drops of blood from a finger-prick. The results are obtained within 3 to 15 minutes and do not require specialised laboratory equipment such as those that use real-time RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) technology.
The test consists of a small device that requires only 10 microlitres of patient serum or plasma, or 20 microlitres of whole blood, which is loaded on one end of the strip together with a buffer mix, which then mixes with COVID-19 spike proteins (S) labelled with colloidal gold and migrates along the device to an area of immobilized antibodies that captures COVID-19 specific antibodies. If virus specific IgG or IgM antibodies from the patient are present, compounds are formed, which show up as a distinctive purple band on the strip.
“It has become apparent that the COVID-19 virus is highly transmissible, and a significant part of the population are asymptomatic, individuals who are currently infected or may have overcome the virus without knowing it. The immune response of these individuals can be measured by the presence of antibodies directed against proteins of the COVID-19 virus. The diagnostic kit does not measure the presence of the COVID19 virus but the results are complementary to other COVID-19 technologies such as real-time RT-PCR that detects the virus. It is now accepted that widespread COVID-19 testing, identification of individuals exposed to the virus and isolation of virus-infected individuals are an effective means to control the spread of COVID-19” noted James Saunders, CEO of Emergence Technology Pty. Ltd.
For further information please contact:
Frederick Pels, Chief Executive Officer
(403)-991-7737
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statement
All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are “forward-looking information” with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including with respect to the fulfillment of an order for the delivery of COVID-19 testing kits, and anticipated future orders. The Company provides forward-looking statements for the purpose of conveying information about current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to those identified and reported in the Company’s public filings under the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required by law.