Gencurix unveils airborne livestock virus detection platform in pioneering Eurostars3 project

Gencurix has been selected to lead a three-year Eurostars3 initiative in partnership with international institutions, aiming to develop an automated air-monitoring system for early detection of livestock viruses, expanding its molecular diagnostics expertise into biosecurity and animal health.

Gencurix has been chosen to lead a Eurostars3 project backed by the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, marking an expansion of its molecular diagnostics business into animal health and biosecurity.

According to the company, the three-year programme, due to run from July 2026 to June 2029, will develop AIDMAN, an automated platform designed to monitor airborne livestock viruses on farms. The system is intended to capture particles from the air, process samples, extract nucleic acids, amplify targets by qPCR and analyse results within a single device, reducing dependence on specialist staff in the field.

The project reflects a broader effort to adapt early-warning tools, originally developed for infectious disease surveillance in human health, to animal quarantine. Gencurix said the platform should help farms detect viral presence earlier and support faster containment measures.

The company plans to develop a freeze-dried multiplex PCR kit and analyser capable of identifying three major swine pathogens: PRRSV, PEDV and SIV. The work will be carried out by a six-institution consortium involving partners in South Korea, Switzerland and Spain, including the Institute of Virology and Immunology, CSEM and IBATECH.

Gencurix said its experience from COVID-related rapid molecular diagnostics work would help it extend its technology into air-based monitoring for livestock environments.