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Scientists develop Covid-19 testing lab in a backpack
Researchers have created a simple Covid-19 testing lab that fits into a backpack providing a cheap and effective solution for low income or remote areas.
Published on:26 January 2022
ShareCovid-19 testing kit that fits into backpack
Covid-19 testing kit that fits into backpack
In a new study, published in PLOS ONE, scientists from Queen Mary University of London show that their lab-in-a-backpack approach is as effective as commercially available Covid-19 tests at detecting SARS-CoV-2.
The compact kit is relatively inexpensive to make, costing $51 in total. It could offer an alternative testing solution for resource-poor countries or remote areas with little access to well-equipped testing labs or trained personnel to process samples.
The testing kit is based on a simple, non-invasive Covid-19 LAMP test and uses low-cost hardware, including a centrifuge made from recycled computer hard drives, called a CentriDrive, to process samples.
The LAMP test is a widely accepted alternative to the commonly used PCR test, has a similar sensitivity but unlike the PCR test does not require temperature cycling, only a single high temperature to amplify any potential virus RNA. This allows the test to be performed with only minimal equipment and reagents. Because the LAMP test uses saliva samples, it also avoids the need for invasive, uncomfortable nasal swabs. However, the high costs of commercially available LAMP tests, as well as the expensive lab equipment required to run them, means that current commercial approaches aren’t suitable for remote locations, or in-home testing.
Professor Stoyan Smoukov, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Queen Mary University of London, said: “We are excited for the potential of this mobile lab to do Covid-19 tests and the possibility to democratise access to inexpensive testing technology. It is made possible by our philosophy of creating low-cost instruments whenever possible from advances in electronics, or existing instruments.
Emily Lin, lead author of the study, said: “In this study, using the LAMP test method in combination with a low-cost centrifuge, we provided an inexpensive, rapid and accurate method for the detection of COVID-19. It will not only provide a viable and inexpensive test kit for regions such as Africa, where innovative solutions are particularly important during the Covid-19 pandemic. It can also be used in resource-rich areas, for example, in high school classrooms to demonstrate how to test for COVID-19.”
Umar Razzaque, who led the development of the CentriDrive during his undergraduate and Masters’ projects at Queen Mary under the supervision of Professor Smoukov, said: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked, as an undergraduate, on technology which could result in a real-world impact. I believe the experience and skills gained whilst developing the CentriDrive, and working in our amazing team, helped land my
From reading the RNS, it seems like they are forward planning into 2024 which will obviously require some more capital raises/dilutions between now and then. Good luck to all private investors who are still hanging in and hoping to retrieve some of your losses.
@moniman, well said, I always thought that investers want the share price to rise.
That's me done with this bulletin board, it is awash with fecking city slickers and kn*bheads. I have put my high sell limit on to stop the scum shorters from borrowing them. Goodbye all you decent people on here, you know who you are.
PI100, what you need to remember is every RNS appears to be known to the city boys and girls at least a day before it is in the public domain, that is why it was volatile yesterday because they were squeezing as much out of investors like you and me as they could.
PI100, it seems to me that every statement you make or question you ask is to put doubt in your own mind. If you are down at the level you state you should be more positive about how and why the share is going to improve. Does it matter if somebody sold £102k of shares last night, people are buying and selling all the time. Just because somebody sells some shares it doesn't mean anything bad is happening, in a lot of ways it is good, because it allows more investors to purchase some shares, which can only be good for investors if the number of shareholders increases as is reduces volatility.
PI100, I don't think Nova need to move away from Covid related testing at all, they need to be at the forefront when variants materialise whilst still producing testing systems for the many other respiratory diseases out there.