Development of a Single-Use Molecular Point-of-Care Diagnostic Test for Influenza and RSV

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Infections that affect patients breathing, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), cause over 6 million hospital admissions and c.700,000 deaths globally each year. There is a need to focus on better diagnosis and treatment of respiratory illnesses including cutting the use of antibiotics when they are not required. Laboratory diagnostic tests using molecular methods are very accurate but need complex equipment and systems meaning results take a long time which is highly problematic when decisions about treatment need to be made quickly. Rapid point-of-care tests, similar to a pregnancy test, are cheap and convenient but miss many cases of infection and do not detect multiple different viruses in a single test. We are developing a new technology combining the gold standard performance of molecular laboratory tests with the speed, low cost and ease of use of rapid tests. The benefits of our test would include improved treatment of patients, fewer hospitalisations, better use of antibiotics, fewer deaths and significantly lower overall costs. Future use by hospitals, GPs and nursing homes would also enable more effective prevention and infection control.