A new company is developing molecular technology for a rapid COVID-19 test that is designed to be just as effective in detecting the disease as the currently available variety of tests that are sent to a lab for processing.
New York’s RNA Disease Diagnostics recently got a boost in development efforts with a licensing deal for the underlying sensor technology with UM Ventures, the commercialization arm of the University of Maryland. It shows how tech transfer is playing a role in responding to the pandemic.
Cofounder Allen Chepuri sees the COVID-19 testing landscape as requiring a choice: There’s the rapid test, which makes results available in less than an hour, but isn’t as sensitive, especially as the virus mutates. Or there’s the PCR test — the kind administered by medical pros at public testing sites. It’s considered the “gold standard” for COVID-19 testing, but it must be sent to a lab for processing, so results take more than a day. The company sees its tests in between these two, with the ability to detect COVID-19 in less than 45 minutes.
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