Rapid field test for COVID-19 developed by Stanford researchers

Researchers at Stanford University, including mechanical engineer Juan Santiago, are working on rapid field tests for COVID-19. Santiago is an expert in microfluidics and works creating compact chemistry labs that can be used to test for toxins, pollution, parasites, microbes, and more. He is currently working on adapting one of his microfluidic tests for tuberculosis to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.Santiago says microfluidics is essentially a tiny medical lab that fits in the palm of the hand. Inside it has small tubes and pumps that move fluids, like those from a nasal swab. The machine only needs a teardrop amount to conduct its testing. The fluid is then put through a series of chemical reactions, and the computer processor monitors everything.

The USB connection relays information to and from a computer, and the test can be controlled in the field using a smartphone. San Diego describes the test system as very mobile, very compact, and very fast. The advantages of such a system include that it is portable and can be used by a doctor, nurse, or technician in the field at the point of care. It's very fast compared to existing tests that take eight hours or longer and require samples to be sent to a central facility.

The designer also says that the test can detect an active COVID-19 infection, which is said to be key to early detection and treatment. Current rapid assays are based on antibodies to the virus, not the virus itself. The antibodies can tell the caregiver that a person has had the infection, while Santiago's test will tell them if the patient is currently infected.

The test itself is very complicated, but it looks first for traces of genetic material in the sample called RNA. He says that viruses leave little traces of themselves wherever they go in the form of RNA. The device uses the RNA to create a lot of DNA and then attaches tiny fluorescent molecules to the DNA so it can be illuminated with ultraviolet light to make coronavirus glow green. If the sample glows, the patient has COVID-19, and if it doesn't glow, the patient doesn't have an active infection.