A new test that can diagnose Covid-19 in just 30 minutes by analysing urine, blood or saliva samples has been identified by scientists. The method, kn

Scientists identify test that can diagnose Covid-19 samples in 30 minutes | NewsChain

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2020-06-13 11:17:32

A new test that can diagnose Covid-19 in just 30 minutes by analysing urine, blood or saliva samples has been identified by scientists.

The method, known as reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), involves looking for genetic material, or RNA, of the coronavirus in the test samples.

Led by Laura Lamb, of Beaumont Health, a healthcare system in Michigan, US, the researchers said the main objective of their study was to look for a rapid screening diagnostic test.

This study shows that the method can detect genetic material from Sars-CoV-2 when this was added to 'dummy' samples from volunteers in 19/20 cases. However, it also generated 2/20 false positives in negative samples

According to the team, the RT-LAMP technique is less expensive, has fewer barriers, and is faster than the standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing method that is currently being used around the world to detect the Sars-Cov-2 virus in patients.

The team conducted tests on simulated patient samples, which involved spiking dummy specimens with genetic material from Sars-CoV-2, as well as clinical samples, which contained the actual Sars-CoV-2 virus.