The universities of Quilmes and San Martín together with two biotech companies developed a test that detects SARS-Cov-2 in swab samples but requires simple equipment that yields results four times faster than the PCR test.
The molecular test, which is called ELA CHEMSTRIP and was recently approved by ANMAT detects molecules of the new coronavirus, allowing people who are developing the infection, whether to have symptoms or not, with 95.5% sensitivity.
“A swab is passed through the patient’s throat to the patient’s throat and their cells are obtained. These cells are then processed to release the RNA of the virus if they were infected. The next step is to ensure that the virus is detectable,” said Diego Comerci, a researcher at UNSAM’s Institute of Biotechnological Research (IIB) and development coordinator.
Comerci, who is co-founder of CHEMTEST – one of the biotech companies that participated in the development – explained that for the detection of SARS-Cov-2 ELA (Easy Loop Amplification) technology is applied that allows to “amplify” the presence, “no matter how minimal”. In this step what is done is to incorporate an enzyme complex and incubate the virus at 60 degrees for an hour to amplify it exponentially and that can be detected in the next step.
➡️ The procedure consists of three steps and has a total duration of one and a half hours. Once done, the result is visible in a reactive strip, similar to the Evatest. pic.twitter.com/8YqNQwIH1m—Official UNQ (@UNQoficial)
June 13, 2020
“The diagnosis concludes with a test strip that when it comes into contact with amplified viral RNA shows two colored bands. If the virus was not present, the strip shows a single band and means the patient is not infected,” Described Comerci.
The development, which took place in a little over two months, was supported specifically by the Secretariat of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Nation, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the R&D&I Agency.
