I havent been putting any weight on the COVID part of our pipeline. We may be able to get something this year (i would say 30%), by then it will be too late. This article today underlines why
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/smartphonebased-tests-could-rival-pcr-tests-for-covid19-and-other-diseases-study/news-story/eb0241bd16093ace24809c915d091ad4A smartphone-based test could be the answer to fast, cheap, and sensitive testing for diseases such as Covid-19 and influenza according to international researchers.A team of medical researchers in Santa Barbara, California has developed a test known as smaRT-LAMP which uses a small device that connects to a smartphone to analyse human saliva samples and detect infections.The team tested their device on samples from 50 patients, finding that it could detect Covid-19 infection and showed consistency with PCR tests.The team suggest that their test could be most helpful in populations lacking adequate vaccination levels, and is easily adaptable to rapidly changing Covid variants.Point of the studyTo find out if loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based methodology coupled with smartphone detection can provide an inexpensive, rapid, sensitive, and reliable platform for Covid-19 and influenza testing without requiring specialised equipment, accessory devices, or laboratory processing.
Method and findings of the studyThis study enrolled two subgroups of participants (symptomatic and asymptomatic) at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The symptomatic group consisted of 20 recruited patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with symptoms; 30 asymptomatic patients were recruited from the same community, through negative admission screening tests for SARS-CoV-2.The smartphone-based LAMP device was first optimised for analysis of human saliva samples spiked with either SARS-CoV-2 or influenza A or B virus; these results then were compared with those obtained by side-by-side analysis of spiked samples using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved PCR tests.Next, both methods were used to test for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses present in blind clinical saliva samples obtained from 50 hospitalised patients. Statistical analysis was performed from May to June 2021.The results of the saliva samples taken from the 50 community-based patients proved the smartphone-based LAMP analysis was able to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection and showed results consistent with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.What do the results mean?The findings suggest that the smartphone-based LAMP testing would offer an additional tool to detect Covid-19 in the community, and could be modified to respond to and detect coronavirus variants and other pathogens that might cause future pandemics, such as influenza.
Who can access this testing technology?
Researchers emphasised the critical need for smartphone-based LAMP tests in low-income and middle-income countries where low-cost, low-tech, highly reliable and scalable testing for SARS-CoV-2 could help people get ahead of the virus and its circulating variants.
Read about the studyhere.
