The Need
One of the major obstacles experienced during the global COVID-19 pandemic has been the accessibility to testing. The inability to test the greater population has kept decision makers relying on statistical probability in the absence of hard numbers.Testing is considered key to an effective exit strategy for countries to return to normal economic activity.
Product
An inexpensive kit that will enable a simple home test for COVID-19 with results available in under an hour. The test only requires a saliva sample, reactive material and a thermal cup. Once the protocol is approved by the Health Ministry, it
can be made widely available to the population at large. The home-test kit does not require any special lab equipment
Technology
Lead researcher, at the Rappaport Medical Faculty, Prof. Naama Geva-Zatorsky, has developed a kit using existing materials capable of identifying the genetic material of COVID-19. The team proved that in medium and high concentrations of coronavirus, the test identifies 99% of the cases. The technology is low-cost, rapid, and does not require specialist equipment or lab expertise. In future the test could be adapted to other viruses and pathogens.
The test was developed with the collaboration of colleagues at the Rambam Health Care Center and Meir Medical Center.
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