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A new COVID-19 test that reduces testing time from 30 minutes to less than five and delivers accurate results has been developed by researchers at the University of Birmingham.
The researchers believe their method could deliver a test that is not only fast but also sufficiently sensitive. The test does not require samples to be treated at high temperatures, and it can be performed using standard laboratory equipment, making it readily deployable.
A preprint paper (yet to be peer reviewed) describing the new process has been published on MedRxiv in which the researchers demonstrate the rapidity and sensitivity of their method using patient sample RNA provided by Public Health England.
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The development, hailed as a world first, could be the breakthrough to help get crowds back to sporting events and festivals across the UK this summer.
University of Birmingham researchers develop rapid COVID-19 RNA test
6th January 2021
Researchers from the University of Birmingham have created a new RNA test for COVID-19, which they say can reduce the testing time to under five minutes while still delivering accurate results.
The method has been published in a preprint paper on MedRxiv, meaning that it has not yet been peer-reviewed, although the University of Birmingham Enterprise has filed a patent application covering the method and its use in diagnostic equipment.
The Enterprise is also seeking to license the patent for rapid product development.
The preprint paper demonstrates the rapidity and sensitivity of the method using a patient sample RNA provided by Public Health England.