Biolidics, a Singapore-based medical technology company, has recently introduced a 10-minute rapid test kit for detecting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The medtech company focuses on the development of cell enrichment systems that are combined with other analytical tests to diagnose cancer and its prognosis, treatment selection, and treatment monitoring.
Biolidics teamed up with a diagnostic kit manufacturer to customize and develop the rapid test kits for coronavirus. The 10-minute diagnostic kits are expected to be available by April.
Singaporean drug regulatory body Health Science Authority (HSA) has given Biolidics the provisional authorization for its rapid test kit to be used in the nation.
Biolidics has been working closely with Clearbridge Health, a Singaporean medical laboratory company, to get approval from the health officials to use the rapid test kits.
Currently, medical professionals use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing to detect coronavirus, which generally takes at least 3 hours to get the results.
The new Biolidics’ rapid test kit detects the virus within 10 minutes, with an accuracy of over 95 percent. Plus, the rapid test kit is easy to use. It also enables more effective and efficient screening.
Interim CEO of Biolidics Dr. Leong Man Chun said, “Testing for COVID19 is vital to track and contain the pandemic which has spread rapidly across the world.”
“Utilizing Biolidics’ rapid test kit, we can enable point-of-care testing for larger pool of clusters, resulting in more effective and efficient decentralized screening among suspected cases,” he added. “With faster and accurate results, it can guide treatment decisions and further enhance public safety measures.”
Meanwhile, one of the states in Singapore has been developing a number of diagnostic kits for coronavirus.
Last month, the Singapore government also introduced a contact tracing app known as “TraceTogether,” which was downloaded by more than 620,000 people in just 3 days, according to MobiHealthNews.
So far, Singapore has reported 926 confirmed cases and 3 deaths. Health officials have identified nearly 13,000 close contacts who have now been quarantined. Globally, the virus has affected 859,032 and killed 42,322 so far.
