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Chinese scientists ‘invent Covid-19 test that gives result within 4 minutes’

  • It is as accurate as a PCR test but cuts out the need for lab analysis, according to Fudan University team
  • New testing device uses mechanical components made of DNA combined with microelectronics and sends results to a phone or computer

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The most accurate tests for Covid-19 currently need to be sent to laboratories for time-consuming analysis. Photo: Xinhua
Holly Chik
Chinese scientists say they have developed a new Covid-19 testing device that can return accurate results within four minutes and is as accurate as the widely used PCR tests.

Researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai said that, if developed further, their device could be used for testing in airports, clinics, emergency departments and homes. Unlike the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests currently in use, samples would not require time-consuming laboratory analysis, they said.

The researchers said the new test device used tiny mechanical components made of DNA combined with microelectronics to detect genetic material in a swab sample and convert it to an electrical signal. The device is connected to a computer or smartphone to show a result.

“[The test] may be advantageous in that it offers rapid detection of Sars-CoV-2 nucleic acids, easy operation, high sensitivity and specificity, and portability,” the team wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

Demand for coronavirus testing kits has intensified as the world grapples with a spike in Covid-19 cases caused by the highly infectious Omicron and Delta variants. China’s manufacturers of testing kits have been racing to keep up with surging demand, both domestically and abroad.
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