ODX11 Apr 2020 22:11
As part of the government’s national testing strategy, the expertise and resources of the UK’s world-leading life sciences industries are being pooled to build a large-scale British diagnostics industry as quickly as possible.
To support this, an online portal has launched on GOV.UK providing companies with specifications for our most urgent requirements, and the NHS Business Services Authority has set up a new engagement team allowing companies an easier, more focused route to offer their support.
Companies with proposals able to deliver on these specifications quickly and at scale may also be able to access a range of support from government, including accelerated regulatory approval, centralised procurement support if appropriate and, in some cases, development grants.
The government has set up a testing taskforce with over 100 companies and Health Secretary Matt Han**** today set out 4 challenges to industry in a webinar to help build on progress as we scale up our testing capability:
To provide additional testing consumables that are in short supply, such as swabs, tubes and components for test kits
For universities, research institutes and private companies to donate additional lab testing capacity for coronavirus tests, supported by best practice guidance on specific requirements
To develop new technology to diagnose coronavirus quicker than ever before and new methods of delivering tests widely across the UK safely
Put forward proposals in support of reliable and accurate antibody testing. These should be scalable, resilient and scientifically robust. Proposals could include a range of ideas for end-to-end solutions or address specific challenges in the supply chain
One such group has already launched to meet the fourth of these challenges. A business consortium, UK Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC), including Oxford University, Abingdon Health, BBI Solutions and CIGA Healthcare has launched, in order to design and develop a new antibody test to determine whether people have developed immunity after contracting the virus.
So far, the antibody tests that have gone through the validation process have not proven accurate enough to be rolled out for public use, which is why the government is also backing efforts to develop a home-grown test.
Only tests that are accurate will be rolled out, to ensure people are not put at risk and we will continue to work closely with UK and international partners to develop a reliable test as soon as possible.
Professor John Newton, the government’s adviser on testing, who is co-ordinating the programme, said:
I’m delighted to be overseeing this absolutely crucial project to help us achieve 100,000 tests a day by the end of April.
We have already launched from scratch an entire new network of testing labs across the UK and, with the support of industry, we can go even further, both in support of our existing work and in developing new tests.
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