Fastest coronavirus blood test invented in world-first breakthrough
Australian researchers have devised a Covid-19 test that can determine infection in around 20 minutes, using blood samples. In what is said to be a world-first breakthrough, researchers from the Monash University said their test can determine if someone is currently infected, and if they have been infected in the past.
The team was led by BioPRIA and Monash University’s Chemical Engineering Department, including researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent BioNano Science and Technology (CBNS).
“Short-term applications include rapid case identification and contact tracing to limit viral spread, while population screening to determine the extent of viral infection across communities is a longer-term need,” the researchers said in a paper published in the journal ACS Sensors.
Their test, using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples, looks for agglutination, or a clustering of red blood cells, that the coronavirus causes. The current swab test is used to identify people who are infected with Covid -19. It can also determine if someone has been recently infected, after the infection is resolved. The team of researchers said they hope it can also be used to detect antibodies raised in response to vaccination to aid clinical trials.
Researchers have filed for a patent, and are seeking commercial and government support to scale up production.
