Saturday, May 21, 2022
SCIENMAG: Latest Science and Health News
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag - Latest science news from science magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home SCIENCE NEWS Atmospheric Science

New rapid COVID-19 test being developed at Lancaster University to improve response to future outbreaks

March 21, 2022
in Atmospheric Science
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A new COVID-19 test being developed at Lancaster University and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, together with Glyconics©,could have a huge social and economic impact and completely change the response in the travel and leisure industries, according to the team behind the project.

Professor Ihtesham Rehman

Credit: N/A

A new COVID-19 test being developed at Lancaster University and the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, together with Glyconics©,could have a huge social and economic impact and completely change the response in the travel and leisure industries, according to the team behind the project.

The project is looking to create a handheld device which requires a nasal or saliva sample to deliver an extremely accurate COVID-19 diagnosis within seconds. The device uses innovative infrared spectroscopy and with a proprietary algorithm, that can be Cloud-based, to identify the biomarkers which indicate the presence of the virus.

The portable devices could be stationed at the entrance to sports or concert arenas, or at airport check-in desks for people travelling abroad to provide almost instant reassurance for anyone flying or attending a busy event.

As the results are immediately entered into an online database, the system could also help give an accurate real-time picture of the prevalence of COVID-19 in a set geographic area – providing vital data for those working on the response strategy.

The project has been designed by Professor Ihtesham Rehman, Chair of Bioengineering at Lancaster University, and Professor Craig Williams, Consultant Microbiologist and Infection Control Doctor at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with Glyconics©.

Professor Rehman said: “This is an important project which could revolutionise the travel and leisure sectors’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic – and also help in monitoring any new mutations which may arise. Current testing for COVID-19 is either through Rapid Lateral Flow Tests, which have limited accuracy and may give rise to false negative and positive results, or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests that also have limitations.

“The PCR test requires laboratory capability, huge transportation and logistical requirements and takes a significant amount of time to deliver a result. Lateral Flow Test kits contain several single-use-plastic components and require several steps over fifteen minutes.

“With our new test we would be able to have a cost-effective handheld testing device somewhere like an airport check-in desk or entrance to a sports arena – or even at a GP practice, point of care facilities or at hospital and university entrances – which would be able to scan a sample and deliver a result almost immediately.”

The partnership with University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust will ensure the process can be tested using live human COVID-19 samples. Initial findings have been encouraging and the project is currently working on testing greater numbers of samples to strengthen the data before, ultimately, moving on to clinical trials.

Professor Craig Williams, Consultant Microbiologist and Infection Control Doctor at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Rapid and accurate COVID testing is essential to control the spread of the infection both in hospitals and the community. Our test will be quick, accurate and simple to perform and so can be used both for diagnosis and widespread screening in the population if needed.”

Following each test, the scanning area simply needs to be wiped clean so the devices can carry out thousands of tests and also drastically cut down plastic wastage created by current options.

Dr Niall Gallen, CTO at Glyconics©, added: “It is great to work with this team of experts in developing a true rapid point-of-care test for COVID, that has the potential to remove many of the logistical and practical problems caused by the testing requirements, for control of the virus.”

Glyconics© works in partnership with its preferred OEM infrared spectroscopy supplier Spectrolytic to provide solutions that are portable and easy to use, taking the measurement capability from the lab to where it is needed.

This project is funded by a grant from Innovate UK.



Tags: COVID19developedfutureimproveLancasteroutbreaksrapidresponsetestUniversity
Share26Tweet16Share5ShareSendShare
  • Figure 1. Silicon particles in a lithium-ion battery protected by a polymer binder mesh

    Charging a green future: Latest advancement in lithium-ion batteries could make them ubiquitous

    72 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • Long-hypothesized ‘next generation wonder material’ created for first time

    67 shares
    Share 27 Tweet 17
  • Resolution time of COVID vaccine-related lymphadenopathy

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • Researchers discover genetic cause of megaesophagus in dogs

    1028 shares
    Share 411 Tweet 257
  • KERI develops a methodology to predict the fire risk of lithium-ion cells based on thermal management

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • Cannabis users require more sedation for endoscopy

    64 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 16
ADVERTISEMENT

About us

We bring you the latest science news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Latest NEWS

Understanding how sunscreens damage coral

SUTD develops design-based activity to enhance students’ understanding in electrochemistry

New Curtin research resurrects ‘lost’ coral species

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 187 other subscribers

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME PAGE
  • BIOLOGY
  • CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
  • MEDICINE
    • Cancer
    • Infectious Emerging Diseases
  • SPACE
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • CONTACT US

© 2022 Scienmag- Science Magazine: Latest Science News.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Posting....