Apple is investing $10 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to COPAN Diagnostics, a leader in sample collection kits that play a critical role in COVID-19 testing.

This funding will allow COPAN Diagnostics to accelerate their supply of sample collection kits for hospitals across the United States, expanding production from several thousand today to more than one million kits per week by early July. As part of this effort, Apple will support COPAN Diagnostics’ expansion to a new, larger facility in Southern California, with equipment that Apple is helping design. This expansion is expected to create more than 50 new jobs.

Apple is sourcing equipment and materials for COPAN Diagnostics from companies across the US, including equipment Apple is helping design from K2 Kinetics, based in York, Pennsylvania, and MWES in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

COPAN is a global player in the field of specimen collection and preservation for infectious disease diagnostics. The company’s sample collection kits have changed the diagnostic industry and play a critical role in the COVID-19 testing process. The company’s quantitative approach to pre-analytics led them to invent flocked swabs in 2003, a device comprising of a molded plastic applicator stick that has variable tips coated with Nylon fibers allowing for quick uptake and complete elution of the sample. COPAN’s UTM is the transport medium for collection, transport, preservation, and long-term freeze storage of clinical specimens containing viruses.

Apple has donated tens of millions of dollars toward the global COVID-19 response, including Global Citizen and America’s Food Fund. In addition, Apple designed, tested, and distributed almost 10 million face shields and sourced over 30 million face masks for healthcare professionals in hard-hit areas. Apple also developed a COVID-19 symptom-checking website and app in partnership with the CDC, and announced a collaboration with Google to develop COVID-19 contact tracing technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.