French researchers trial more accurate fast COVID-19 test
The prototype test, called CorDial-1, has not been approved for use, but initial trials on 300 samples showed a 90% accuracy rate compared to a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, the most reliable commonly-used method of detecting COVID-19.
The prototype test can deliver results within 10 minutes, and can be used outside the laboratory, according to the team developing it, while PCR testing typically takes hours and needs lab conditions.
There are other quick and portable COVID-19 tests available, but scientists have raised doubts about their reliability.
Researcher Sabine Szunerits, Professor in Chemistry at the University Lille 1, surrounded Rabah Boukherroub, Research Director Group Leader at the Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology at the University of Lille, and Professor David Devos, displays a smartphone showing curve indicating a COVID-19 test positive result during an interview with Reuters about a project called CorDial-1 for rapid COVID tests via smartphones, at the CNRS in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
The CorDial-1 test uses antibody fragments called nanobodies. They are derived from camelids — a group that includes camels, dromedaries, llamas and alpacas — because they are more stable than antibodies from other creatures.
For the COVID-19 test, the nanobodies are grafted onto the surface of an electrode. When those nanobodies come into contact with the “spike” protein of the COVID-19 virus, they interact to produce a change in the electrical current across the electrode.
When the testing apparatus — a device the size of a large USB stick — is plugged into a smartphone, the current shows up as a signal on a graph.
Reuters source:
