The new testing cartridge has been designed to avoid operator errors through its simplified procedure, and provide consistent test results
Vivera develops one-step testing cartridge for Covid-19. (Credit: Visuals3D from Pixabay.)
Vivera Pharmaceuticals, a provider of pharmaceutical and medical device products, has developed a new one-step testing cartridge for Covid-19 antibody testing.
The biopharmaceutical firm said that its advanced testing cartridge has been designed to avoid operator errors through its simplified procedure, and provide consistent test results.
Vivera Pharmaceuticals chief medical officer Stephen McColgan said: “A consistent, user friendly, testing device will prove to be a vital tool for use not only at the point-of-care by medical professionals, but will open the door to the convenience of at-home testing for all.
“As the world waits for a Covid-19 vaccine, we know that screening with antibody tests is the best way to help make more informed public health decisions.”
The new one-step testing cartridge requires only a drop of blood to detect Covid-19
For the test, the users are required to simply place a drop of blood within the provided safety lancet and apply it directly on the cartridge.
Once the cartridge is closed, the integrated blood flow system of the device automatically delivers the required amount of blood to the sample well. The buffer solution inside the cartridge is automatically released to provide the precise volume of buffer required for the test.
The pharmaceutical firm is said to be currently in talks with the top telemedicine providers in the US to develop an operative testing protocol for the one-step cartridge, following the provision of appropriate pathways by the FDA.
Recently, Promega has introduced new serological antibody test for the detection of the presence of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Promega’s in vitro diagnostic test is said to show a sensitivity of 93.5% when evaluated samples from patients with varying levels of disease and 100% sensitivity across hospitalised patients.