Researchers say they've created a low-cost swab test called SARS-CoV-2 DETECTR, which could help diagnose COVID-19 infections in just 45 minutes.
New COVID-19 Test Could Give Results in Under 1 Hour
THURSDAY, April 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they've developed a low-cost swab test that can diagnose COVID-19 infections in about 45 minutes.
The CRISPR-based test -- which uses gene-targeting technology and requires no specialized equipment -- could help relieve testing backlogs in the United States as COVID-19 continues to spread, the scientists said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved the test, but clinical assessments are being conducted in an effort to fast-track approval. The test is described in a paper published April 16 in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
"The introduction and availability of CRISPR technology will accelerate deployment of the next generation of tests to diagnose COVID-19 infection," co-lead developer Dr. Charles Chiu said in a University of California, San Francisco news release. He is a professor of laboratory medicine at the university.