Two British companies are preparing to launch a simple COVID-19 saliva detection test that aims to provide an accurate result in 20 seconds, after its first uses at London's Heathrow airport, one of the busiest in the world.
The device Virolens, developed by iAbra, uses a digital microscope and software powered by artificial intelligence to visually search a buccal swab sample for signs of the novel coronavirus.
The machine provides a method of detecting low cost, repeatable and self-administered, which enables hundreds of cartridge-based tests to be performed daily, according to TT Electronics, iAbra's manufacturing partner. Validation studies from the University of Bristol have linked the 0,2% system false negative rate, along with a false positive rate of 3,3%.
The Virolens device has undergone its first rounds of field testing among Heathrow employees, and its developers are now planning full clinical trials to obtain certifications for medical use.
«I have experienced the iAbra test myself, along with the PCR test; it's faster and cheaper, and potentially more accurateHeathrow Airport CEO John Holland Kaye commented. «We urge the government to speed up this technology to protect the economy and help save millions of jobs in this country.«.
According to a Financial Times report, iAbra said the machine will cost less than $20.000, with cartridge test kits "the price of a paperback."
Meanwhile, Heathrow has also trialed two other rapid-result coronavirus tests: the nasal swab test Geneme's RT-LAMP and the test of the lateral flow saliva strip from Mologic. The findings are being shared with the UK government as countries and airports look to find the most efficient and user-friendly testing methods to screen passengers.