Smartphone COVID Test kit

This kit is as good as lab kits but much faster and more portable.

Rapid antigen tests are quick and easy but can often miss positive cases. The test requires a certain amount of viral material to be captured by a nasal swab or saliva samples.

PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, technology is the most accurate way to test for SARS-CoV-2. It involves taking a swab sample from a subject and amplifying the viral genetic material in a lab.

the novelty of LAMP technology is that it can amplify viral material without the complex temperature cycling required by PCR testing. The main problem with LAMP diagnostics has been over-sensitivity. It is so effective at enhancing viral replication that it often results in high volumes of false-positives.

Alongside solving this false-positive problem the researchers designed a novel smartphone-based system that can be produced for less than US$100. The system has been dubbed smaRT-LAMP (smartphone-based real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification).

Using just a smartphone, LED lights and a hotplate, the researchers claim saliva samples can deliver accurate results in 25 minutes. The cost of each individual test has been estimated at around $7, significantly less than a lab-based PCR test.

The system can also be easily adapted to detect other viruses. In its current iteration, the researchers have demonstrated that simply changing the primers used to interact with a saliva sample can shift the kit from detecting SARS-CoV-2 to the influenza virus.