A rapid multi-parameter POCT platform to combat Covid-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks

用于对抗 Covid-19 和其他传染病爆发的快速多参数 POCT 平台

• 批准号: 10023562
• 金额: $ 1.27万
• 依托单位: BIOFAB LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10023562
• 关键词: rapid; multi; parameter; POCT; platform

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted how vulnerable society is to the spread of infectious disease. Novel viral and bacterial strains can quickly spread through communities unprotected by existing vaccines and therapeutics. New vaccines and therapeutics can take years to develop and hence cannot help during the most critical, early stages of an outbreak. On the other hand, diagnostic tests can be developed relatively quickly. Implemented correctly, they can be incredibly effective at containing an outbreak and preventing further transmission.However, such tests generally require trained personnel and specialised equipment and facilities to be run. The patient either needs to travel to a testing facility or have a sample transported to such a facility. The increased turnaround time delays both the decision making of whether to isolate the patient, and the tracing of recent contacts who may have been exposed. It also risks further spread of infection during the patient or sample transit. Rapid, simple blood tests do exist, but they tend to perform poorly. High rates of false positives and false negatives prevent effective decision making when used in non-clinical settings.Our project aims to develop an easy-to-use diagnostic device to allow such tests to be performed quickly by untrained personnel such that effective outbreak control can be implemented efficiently. It will be capable of running several types of test depending on the requirements of the situation. One test will be developed for highly sensitive and specific detection of infection in the early stage. Another test will be developed for rapid screening of mid-late stage infection and to determine if a patient has been previously exposed to the virus and subsequently recovered. This will be particularly useful for asymptomatic carriers who may have passed on the disease despite having no symptoms and also to identify individuals who have acquired immunity. In addition, once a vaccine has been developed, this platform will be able to confirm vaccination status.Such a device could be deployed in many key situations for effective outbreak control. E.g. airports and transit hubs, educational establishments, community care centres, mobile screening vehicles, etc.We believe such a tool will prove highly effective at combating the spread of infectious disease and help alleviate the societal burden of containment measures such as social-distancing and business closures. As well as the Covid-19 pandemic, this platform can be readily adapted to combat future outbreaks of both viral and bacterial infections.

2019冠状病毒病大流行凸显了社会在传染病传播方面的脆弱性。新的病毒和细菌菌株可以迅速传播到未受现有疫苗和治疗方法保护的社区。新的疫苗和疗法可能需要数年时间才能开发，因此在疫情爆发的最关键的早期阶段无法提供帮助。另一方面，诊断测试可以相对较快地开发。如果正确实施，它们可以非常有效地控制疫情并防止进一步传播。然而，此类测试通常需要训练有素的人员和专门的设备和设施才能运行。患者需要前往检测机构或将样本运送到此类机构。周转时间的增加既推迟了是否隔离病人的决定，也推迟了对可能接触过的最近接触者的追踪。它还可能在患者或样本运输过程中进一步传播感染。快速，简单的血液测试确实存在，但它们往往表现不佳。高假阳性率和假阴性率阻碍了在非临床环境中使用时的有效决策。我们的项目旨在开发一种易于使用的诊断设备，使未经培训的人员能够快速进行此类测试，从而有效地实施有效的疫情控制。它将能够根据情况的要求运行几种类型的测试。将开发一种检测方法，用于在早期阶段高度敏感和特异地检测感染。将开发另一种检测方法，用于快速筛查中晚期感染，并确定患者先前是否接触过病毒，随后是否康复。这将是特别有用的无症状携带者谁可能已经通过了疾病，尽管没有症状，也确定个人谁获得性免疫。此外，一旦开发出疫苗，该平台将能够确认疫苗接种状态。这种设备可以在许多关键情况下部署，以有效控制疫情。例如，机场和交通枢纽、教育机构、社区护理中心、移动的筛查车辆等。我们相信，这一工具将证明在遏制传染病传播方面非常有效，并有助于减轻社交距离和企业关闭等遏制措施的社会负担。除了新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行之外，该平台还可以随时进行调整，以应对未来病毒和细菌感染的爆发。