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/