A rapid multi-parameter POCT platform to combat Covid-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted how vulnerable society is to the spread of infectious disease. Novel viral and bacterial strains can quickly spread through communities unprotected by existing vaccines and therapeutics. New vaccines and therapeutics can take years to develop and hence cannot help during the most critical, early stages of an outbreak. On the other hand, diagnostic tests can be developed relatively quickly. Implemented correctly, they can be incredibly effective at containing an outbreak and preventing further transmission.

However, such tests generally require trained personnel and specialised equipment and facilities to be run. The patient either needs to travel to a testing facility or have a sample transported to such a facility. The increased turnaround time delays both the decision making of whether to isolate the patient, and the tracing of recent contacts who may have been exposed. It also risks further spread of infection during the patient or sample transit. Rapid, simple blood tests do exist, but they tend to perform poorly. High rates of false positives and false negatives prevent effective decision making when used in non-clinical settings.

Our project aims to develop an easy-to-use diagnostic device to allow such tests to be performed quickly by untrained personnel such that effective outbreak control can be implemented efficiently. It will be capable of running several types of test depending on the requirements of the situation. One test will be developed for highly sensitive and specific detection of infection in the early stage. Another test will be developed for rapid screening of mid-late stage infection and to determine if a patient has been previously exposed to the virus and subsequently recovered. This will be particularly useful for asymptomatic carriers who may have passed on the disease despite having no symptoms and also to identify individuals who have acquired immunity. In addition, once a vaccine has been developed, this platform will be able to confirm vaccination status.

Such a device could be deployed in many key situations for effective outbreak control. E.g. airports and transit hubs, educational establishments, community care centres, mobile screening vehicles, etc.

We believe such a tool will prove highly effective at combating the spread of infectious disease and help alleviate the societal burden of containment measures such as social-distancing and business closures. As well as the Covid-19 pandemic, this platform can be readily adapted to combat future outbreaks of both viral and bacterial infections.