Biolidics develops test detecting a person’s protective immunity against Covid-19; shares jump

‘Biolidics said the ClearEpi NAB Test is intended for the qualitative detection of circulating human IgG  antibodies capable of attaching to the Covid-19 spike proteins and preventing binding. "The company wishes to highlight that the ClearEpi NAB Test is intended for use as an aid in identifying individuals with an adaptive immune response to Sars-CoV-2 and should not be used to diagnose or exclude acute Sars-CoV-2 infection," Biolidics added.

‘Biolidics expects the development of the test and the receipt of the CE marking to contribute positively to its revenue for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2021, provided the company is able to successfully market and commercialise the test in the EU.’

Read here (Straits Times, Sept 15, 2021)

Covid-19 breathalyser tests could be used on large scale in Singapore soon

‘Mass deployment of Covid-19 breathalysers that produce results on the spot may soon happen here. This will facilitate safe travel arrangements and screenings at large-scale events.

‘The Straits Times has learnt that local medtech firm Silver Factory Technology is working with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), Changi Airport and security firm Certis to develop the breathalysers.

‘Silver Factory's breathalyser, TracieX, has been shown to be almost as accurate as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, while taking a fraction of the time - at two minutes - to turn in results.’

Read here (Straits Times, Apr 19, 2021)

Pentagon team reveals Covid-19-detecting chip that can be implanted in the body

‘A team of US scientists working under the US Department of Defense has unveiled a chip that it said can detect signs of the new coronavirus in human bodies within minutes when it is implanted under the skin. Retired Colonel Matt Hepburn said that the implant invented by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a Pentagon unit that develops emerging technologies for military use, can continuously test blood.’

Read here (South China Morning Post, Apr 18, 2021)

Malaysian company develops Covid-19 rapid test kits that can deliver results under 20 minutes

‘A homegrown diagnostic solution start-up has developed a digital rapid Covid-19 test kit — dubbed APTSENS — that can upload test results in real-time with geo-location data to cloud servers via a mobile app.

‘Biogenes Technologies, a startup in the field of molecular diagnostics and genomics, said that APTSENS is a simple-to-use kit consisting of Covid-19 single-use sensor chip, portable electronic reader and collection swab that can produce test results in under 20 minutes.’

Read here (Malay Mail, Feb 26, 2021)

Rapid Covid-19 home test developed in Australia approved for emergency use in US

‘A rapid, over-the-counter Covid-19 test developed by Australian firm Ellume has been given emergency approval in the United States. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Brisbane-based company’s 20-minute Covid-19 Home Test on Tuesday as the US battles the virus that has infected 16.5 million people and killed more than 300,000 people in the country.

“By authorising a test for over-the-counter use, the FDA allows it to be sold in places like drug stores, where a patient can buy it, swab their nose, run the test and find out their results in as little as 20 minutes,” the FDA commissioner, Stephen Hahn, said in a statement.’

Read here (The Guardian, Dec 16, 2020)

FDA authorises first at-home coronavirus test

‘The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the first prescription at-home coronavirus test, in a long-awaited milestone. The test, developed by Lucira Health, can be used by people who are at least 14 years old when their health provider suspects they have Covid-19, the FDA said late Tuesday. The test can be used on younger people, but in that case a health care provider must collect the sample.

‘The test involves swabbing the inside of the nose, placing the swab in a vial and swirling it before putting the vial in a "test unit." The process gives results in 30 minutes or less. FDA medical device director Jeff Shuren said the test, which can be fully run outside a lab or health care settings, represents a significant step forward.’

Read here (Politico, Nov 17, 2020)

NUS start-up develops 60-second breath test to detect Covid-19

‘Researchers in Singapore have developed a breath test to detect COVID-19 within a minute, said the National University of Singapore (NUS) on Tuesday (Oct 20). The test, which detects volatile organic compounds (VOC) in a person’s breath, achieved more than 90 per cent accuracy in a clinical trial involving 180 patients.’ 

Read here (Channel News Asia, Oct 20, 2020)

New test detects coronavirus in just 5 minutes

‘Researchers have used CRISPR gene-editing technology to come up with a test that detects the pandemic coronavirus in just 5 minutes. The diagnostic doesn’t require expensive lab equipment to run and could potentially be deployed at doctor’s offices, schools, and office buildings. “It looks like they have a really rock-solid test,” says Max Wilson, a molecular biologist at the University of California (UC), Santa Barbara. “It’s really quite elegant.”

Read here (Science, Oct 8, 2020)

India's new paper Covid-19 test could be a ‘game changer’

‘A team of scientists in India has developed an inexpensive paper-based test for coronavirus that could give fast results similar to a pregnancy test. The test, named after a famous Indian fictional detective, is based on a gene-editing technology called Crispr. Scientists estimate that the kit - called Feluda - would return results in under an hour and cost 500 rupees (about $6.75; £5.25). Feluda will be made by a leading Indian conglomerate, Tata, and could be the world's first paper-based Covid-19 test available in the market.

‘Researchers at the Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), where Feluda was developed, as well as private labs, tried out the test on samples from about 2,000 patients, including ones who had already tested positive for the coronavirus. They found that the new test had 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity...’

Read here (BBC, Oct 4, 2020)

Rapid, cheap home tests: Companies attempt to make coronavirus tests widely available

‘Nearly two months after federal regulators unveiled rules for at-home coronavirus tests, no company has federal approval to sell these fast and cheap tests even though the technology is ready.

‘Molecular PCR tests processed at medical labs remain the standard of accurate testing, but they are more expensive and results can take days to process. Antigen tests are less expensive, plentiful and deliver results in minutes. Three companies gained Food and Drug Administration authorization to sell antigen testing instruments to labs or clinics. A fourth company, Abbott Laboratories, won approval to market a $5 rapid, credit card-sized test administered by a health care professional.

‘But no company has been cleared to sell tests directly to consumers for widespread screening – a step some believe is necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, as more than 200,000 Americans have died and people worry about safely returning to work, school, travel or sporting events. “The way to get this under control is if people find out as early as possible they are infected and then quarantine from others,” said Dr. Yukari Manabe, a Johns Hopkins University professor of medicine.’

Read here (USA Today, Sept 25, 2020)

Oxford developers of rapid Covid-19 test awarded RAEng President's Special Award

‘Professor Cui and his team from Oxford's Department of Engineering Science and OSCAR, the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research, are one of the winners announced today of the Royal Academy of Engineering's President's Special Awards for Pandemic Service for their rapid viral RNA test for COVID-19.’

Read here (OUP, Aug 17, 2020)