Penn Medicine develops COVID-19 test that delivers results in minutes with 90% accuracy thedp.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedp.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a diagnostic test for COVID-19 made of scalable materials that can deliver results within minutes at a fraction of the cost of other tests.
Called RAPID 1.0 (Real-time Accurate Portable Impedimetric Detection prototype 1.0), the test was developed as an alternative to RT-PCR tests, which require trained laboratory technicians to perform and can take days to get results back, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The new test uses a screen-printed electrode, which the researchers say can be mass-produced, to detect the virus in nasal-swab or saliva samples. Results are returned within four minutes and can be read on a benchtop instrument or on a smartphone.
IMAGE: RAPID, a low-cost COVID-19 diagnostic test can detect SARS-CoV-2 within four minutes with 90 percent accuracy
Image:
Penn Medicine
PHILADELPHIA A low-cost, rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19 developed by Penn Medicine provides COVID-19 results within four minutes with 90 percent accuracy. A paper published this week in
Matter details the fast and inexpensive diagnostic test, called RAPID 1.0 (Real-time Accurate Portable Impedimetric Detection prototype 1.0). Compared to existing methods for COVID-19 detection, RAPID is inexpensive and highly scalable, allowing the production of millions of units per week.
Despite the urgency of the pandemic, most available methods for COVID-19 testing use RT-PCR reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to detect SARS-CoV-2. Though effective, the technique requires large laboratory space and trained workers to employ. These tests are also costly, they run a risk of cross-contamination, and can take hours or days to provide resul