AptaGold, an Irish based project, has been awarded funding to develop a saliva-based screening process to detect Covid-19 in minutes for rapid intervention.  

Based on mixing patient saliva samples with specially selected DNA strands called aptamers, if Covid-19 virus proteins are present, these particles lead to a visible colour change in minutes. Aptamers can be produced at a much lower cost than antibodies, so the production can be easily scaled up to meet demand in Ireland and abroad.

Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, the collaboration involves researchers at Irish Universities and Hospitals.

https://www.sfi.ie/research-news/news/covid-19-research-ireland/