A Houston-area engineering company that usually helps its energy clients with efficiency optimization has teamed up with a Michigan-based biotech company to advance important COVID-19 testing.

Sugar Land-based Assured Flow Solutions has partnered up with Innovative Research Inc. to aid its development of its ELISA-based test kit. The kit will be able to test to see if an individual carries antibodies against COVID-19. This test would help address the disease's many question marks as well as validate vaccine efficacy, identify donors for plasma transfusions, and more.

"The opportunity to assist in this work is personally fulfilling and further allows AFS to demonstrate our commitment to helping the community in any way possible," says Tony Spratt, AFS co-founder, in a news release.

AFS has granted funds to Innovative Research in support of the company's advancement of biotech.

"Before these kits can be used by researchers globally, they need to be tested and validated and that is where AFS has helped in our fight. The grant support from AFS will be used to purchase reagents to expedite in the rapid development and validation of these kits," says Donna Schelby, vice president of operations at Innovative Research Inc., in a news release.

"Without the generous support of AFS, we would not be as far along in the development phase as we are."

The two companies are connected through the University of Michigan, where executives from each firm attended.

"This is a unique and meaningful opportunity for a cross-over between our two innovative companies to work towards a common goal," says Tommy Golczynski, AFS CEO, in a news release. "Leaders at both companies have academic roots from the University of Michigan, so this was a very natural and impactful collaboration to help a community in-need."