Led by Prof Molly Stevens, the i-sense team at Imperial College London have received over €500,000 in funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) as part of their COVID-19 Rapid Response Call.
In collaboration with partners from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Abingdon Health, the team will develop a point-of-care diagnostic test for COVID-19.
The test will adapt work already being done within i-sense to develop a point-of-care diagnostic test that can detect ultra-low concentrations of the virus.
"Our rapid test design is for point-of-care use to help us overcome the challenge of detecting asymptomatic carriers, as well as diagnosing patients much earlier and more quickly,” says Prof Stevens.
"This would enable patients to be isolated and treated earlier, and help control the spread of outbreaks.”
The team aim to complete the development phase of the test, called QwikZyme, within the next six months.
Related links
- Adapting i-sense technologies for detection of COVID-19
- New funding for collaborative research into tool and technologies for COVID-19 response
- Imperial’s President’s Excellence Fund speeds up research into COVID-19
