Diagnostics

Lead: Emily Adams (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)

The FASTER diagnostics programme at the Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics in the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, will enrol patients suspected of COVID-19 for diagnostic evaluation. We are interested in point-of-care diagnostics for the UK and LMIC settings. Investigators are also researching potential small molecule biomarkers and prognostic biomarkers.

Emily and her team have now begun the validation process for the Mologic COVID-19 point-of-need diagnostic test:

• Independent assessment and validation of COVID-19 diagnostic test has been initiated at LSTM by Dr Adams and her research group, along with colleagues at St George's University London
• Prototypes will be sent to world-leading labs in the UK, Senegal, Spain, China, Malaysia and Brazil for priority validation
• COVID-19 tests will be jointly manufactured in the UK at Mologic and in Senegal at Institut Pasteur de Dakar for the first time
• Dr Adams said: “These tests could be a game-changer for diagnosis and follow-up of patients both in hospital and in the community, allowing us to detect cases early and isolate patients and their families rapidly.”

Emily commented: “We are extremely pleased to be working alongside Mologic and diaTROPiX on the evaluation and validation of rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19. These tests could be a game changer for diagnosis and follow-up of patients both in hospital and in the community, allowing us to detect cases early and isolate patients and their families rapidly. Of course in low-resource settings, where we are starting to see cases, these are the only tests that are appropriate for use. We need to manufacture and deliver as soon as we possibly can”  Read more here