A team of researchers from Khalifa University has developed a portable Covid-19 testing kit that can deliver the results in just 45 minutes.
Researchers used the Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification method (Lamp), which is a newer technique compared to PCR nasal swab test, a common laboratory method for detecting, tracking and studying Covid-19.
Currently in the clinical validation stage, the new Lamp kit is a simple, easy and faster way to detect Covid-19.
In the Lamp method there is no need for any sophisticated equipment as the kit performs the detection test directly from a patient’s swab.
A simple colour change shows the result: pink for negative and yellow for positive.
PCR uses a thermal cycling approach to start the RNA replication process, which needs to be converted to DNA and detect the virus.
Lamp, on the other hand, uses a single temperature approach to get the same results.
The kits will remain useful even after the pandemic is over, as they can be used with any virus detecting primer.
The device is the size of an average smartphone.
