JAPANESE COVID-19 SALIVA TEST YIELDS RESULTS IN 30 MINUTES

A safer, less invasive test to detect novel coronavirus infections by analyzing a patient's saliva has been developed in Japan that shows results within just 30 minutes, Kenta Noguchi reported for Asahi Shimbun on July 21, 2020. 

The team of scientists from Tokyo Medical University and Nihon University who jointly devised the new technique have signed a licensing contract with Osaka-based drug maker Shionogi & Co. for commercializing the new test. The test uses technology called signal amplification by ternary initiation complexes (SATIC), created by Masayasu Kuwahara, a bioanalytical chemistry professor at Nihon University, to measure specific genes and molecules. 

Under the new method, saliva and other biological samples will be examined for the virus’ RNA. If the RNA exists, tiny “magnetic beads,” which spreads in the reagent evenly, will clump together to form clusters and change the color of the reagent from brown to clear, enabling the tester to easily determine the results visually without using a dedicated detector. 

“Our test is expected to be as accurate as the PCR method, and the infection risk will be lower while obtaining specimens,” said Hisashi Kawashima, a chief professor of medicine at Tokyo Medical University. “It may also be used for developing tests for drug-resistant fungi and unknown infectious diseases.” Under the new method, saliva and other biological samples will be examined for the virus’ RNA. If the RNA exists, tiny “magnetic beads,” which spreads in the reagent evenly, will clump together to form clusters and change the color of the reagent from brown to clear, enabling the tester to easily determine the results visually without using a dedicated detector.