Singapore Team Invents Covid-19 Test Kit That Detects Virus Antibodies in an Hour
The Duke-NUS Medical School has developed a first-in-the-world SARS-CoV-2 serology test kit that can find out within an hour if one has a previous infection of COVID-19. Known as cPass™, the test kit can detect neutralising antibodies without need of containment facility or specimen. Co-developed and manufactured together with GenScript Biotech Corporation, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*Star) Diagnostics Development Hub (DxD Hub), this test would be instrumental in vaccine and therapeutic development as it is suitable for all antibody isotypes and can be used to determine antibodies in different animal species without any modification. Aside from being fast, the test kit is also able to single out antibodies and be used in regular research or hospital settings with no need for specialised equipment or expertise. This will be a huge boost to current COVID-19 investigations - from contact tracing, sero-prevalence survey, and assessment of herd immunity, longevity of protective immunity and efficacy of different vaccine candidates.