NIH develops faster COVID-19 test

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have developed a sample preparation method to detect SARS-CoV-2 that could reduce the time and cost of COVID-19 diagnostic testing, the agency announced yesterday. The National Eye Institute has protected the intellectual property around the technology and is seeking partners for co-developing/licensing.

“We think this novel methodology has clear benefits of increasing sensitivity, cost and time savings for testing,” said Robert Hufnagel, M.D., chief of the NEI Medical Genetics and Ophthalmic Genomic Unit. “The method stabilizes the RNA at room temperature for easier transport, storage, and handling in clinical settings.”