Rapid COVID-19 diagnostic test developed by Cambridge team to be deployed in hospitals

A new rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19, developed by a University of Cambridge spinout company and capable of diagnosing the infection in under 90 minutes, is being deployed at Cambridge hospitals, ahead of being launched in hospitals nationwide.

Research nurse from the NIHR Clinical Research Facility processing patient samples using SAMBA machines at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Photo: Cambridge University Hospital

The SAMBA II machines, developed by Diagnostics for the Real World, provide a simple and accurate system for the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. They will be used by healthcare workers at point-of-care in order to rapidly diagnose patients, directing those who test positive for the infection to dedicated wards.

They can also help identify which healthcare workers are infected, enabling those who test negative to return to the front line.

SAMBA II looks for tiny traces of genetic material belonging to the virus, amplifies it billions of times chemically and is therefore extremely sensitive in the detection of active infections.

Dr Helen Lee, CEO of Diagnostics for the Real World said: “Our goal has always been to make cutting-edge technology so simple and robust that the SAMBA machine can be placed literally anywhere and operated by anyone with minimum training.”

Patients will provide a nasal and throat swab. Once these have been loaded into the SAMBA machine, the remainder of the process is fully automated.

At the moment, tests are sent for analysis in centralised laboratories and this, compounded by the sheer number of samples that are having to be analysed, means that diagnosis can take one to two days.

SAMBA II is able to deliver results while the patient waits, helping healthcare workers ensure that those infected can be quickly directed to specialised wards. Whereas current tests can take over 24 hours or longer to deliver their results, SAMBA is able to deliver a diagnosis in less than 90 minutes.

The tests have been validated by Public Health England, Cambridge, in 102 patient samples and shown to have 98.7% sensitivity (ability to correctly identify positive cases) and 100% specificity (the ability to correctly identify negative cases) compared to the currently used NHS/Public Health England test. This has enabled the team to obtain a CE mark.

Professor Ravi Gupta from the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, who is leading the ‘COVIDx’ clinical study to evaluate the impact of the test, said: “Testing healthcare workers could help reduce the risk of infection in healthcare facilities themselves, which might in turn assist national control efforts. It will also reduce the number of staff self-isolating for symptoms as we could use the test to determine who is actually infected. At present the lack of testing is resulting in severe staff shortages nationally.”

Researchers at Cambridge will also be using SAMBA II to test healthcare workers in high-risk areas such as intensive care units or COVID-19 wards.

Their aim is to see whether the tests can identify asymptomatic individuals – those who are infected but do not realise it – so that they can self-isolate and prevent inadvertent transmission. (University of Cambridge)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

New coronavirus stable for hours on surface

The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study.

Inflammation in the brain linked to several forms of dementia

Inflammation in the brain may be more widely implicated in dementias than was previously thought, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The researchers say it offers hope for potential new treatments for several types of dementia.

Antioxidant supplements do not improve male fertility

Antioxidant supplements do not improve semen quality among men with infertility, according to a new study.

Combined prenatal smoking and drinking greatly increases SIDS risk

Children born to mothers who both drank and smoked beyond the first trimester of pregnancy have a 12-fold increased risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) compared to those unexposed or only exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy.

An engineering breakthrough in Type 1 diabetes

A pre-clinical animal study successfully reverse Type 1 diabetes within 24 hours and maintain insulin independence for at least 90 days.

A device helps people with asthma

A small business is developing a device and app to help people monitor chronic lung conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary fibrosis when away from the hospital.