A 15-minute Covid-19 test developed at Northwestern University has received a $21.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to commercialize the device.
The highly sensitive test, which requires a single nasal swab sample, analyzes and detects Covid-19 in about 15 minutes.
Developed by Northwestern spinoff company Minute Molecular Diagnostics, the device is called DASH, which stands for diagnostic analyzer for specific hybridization.
To test someone for Covid-19, users insert a small cartridge containing a patient’s nasal swab sample into the DASH device, which is about the size of a cereal box. The device then tests the sample using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique that amplifies DNA, and makes tiny virus samples larger so that they're at detectable levels.
After 15 minutes, the DASH provides a simple positive or negative result on a touchscreen.
The device, developed by David Kelso and Sally McFall, could be a useful tool in reopening K-12 schools, universities and offices, and preventing the spread of Covid-19. The DASH is simple enough for non-laboratory personnel to operate.
“The simplicity of the DASH test allows PCR testing to go where antigen tests go now,” McFall said in a statement.
The NIH funding will allow Minute Molecular Diagnostics to increase production of its product and create 1 million test cartridges per month. Distribution of the DASH device is contingent upon it receiving Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Besides Covid-19, the DASH device can test for other viral and bacterial diseases, including the flu, hepatitis C, HIV and STIs, the researchers said.
Depending on the test, sample types the DASH can analyze include nasal swabs, saliva and blood.
