The PCR test uses a swab to collect cells from deep within the nasal cavity and tests for genetic material from the virus.
The COVID-19 test kit analyzed by SFU researchers is a PCR-style test that uses a microchip that miniaturizes the amount of chemicals, called reagents, needed to test for the genetic material of the virus.Photo by SFU/HANDOUTThe SFU researchers say the new kit can provide accurate results in 30 minutes and requires 10 times less reagents than the tube-based PCR tests approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The test kit was then sent to a clinical team at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver to be tested on 21 human samples, all that were available at the time in the first coronavirus wave in the spring of 2020. The new test kit replicated existing hospital testing results, demonstrating its effectiveness, said SFU researchers.
British Columbia health officials have used rapid testing in a limited fashion, using it to test staff and residents in long-term care homes in some situations and also, for example, in an outbreak in a school setting.