Competition10 Feb 2021 09:50
Two British companies have joined forces to develop a rapid Covid test that they claim will be the most sensitive in the world when it launches in March.
The lateral flow test was developed by Excalibur Healthcare Services, a Cambridge-based diagnostics company founded and led by biotech entrepreneur Sir Chris Evans. Embedded in the test is artificial intelligence software from medical technology company Sensyne Health.
If a lateral flow test is positive, a red line appears on the result window. The stronger the line, the higher the viral load. "Some people light up like a Christmas tree," Sir Chris said.
This new test is ultra-sensitive and can detect in less than 10 minutes extremely low levels of the Covid virus in the body.
"I am confident this is the best test in the world," said Sir Chris. "No one has ever had a lateral flow test get the level we have and it is a combination of that brilliant algorithm software and our sensitive reagents."