A public-private partnership between the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and MBio Diagnostics aims to create a COVID-19 serology test capable of providing results within five minutes.
The test is a point-of-care diagnostic that tests for human anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in whole blood samples. Using multiplexed cartridge-based lateral flow, the test is capable of detecting active or past infections, allowing rapid on-site screening of patients in places like drive-thru windows or walk-up testing sites.
The test will utilize MBio’s LightDeck platform and detect both IgG, which is found in the blood after infection and IgM, which forms when the body fights a new infection. That platform mixes low-cost cartridges and intuitive software to assist the health care, veterinary and environmental industries. Specifically, this test will quantify total antibody reactivity to three SARS-CoV-2 antigens and, in so doing, potentially assist immunity assessment as well.
The test is the latest in BARDA’s ever-growing arsenal of COVID-19 medical countermeasures.