A new project on COVID-19 diagnostics gets underway
Press Release -
Fondazione ICONS leads the communication and dissemination activities of the new EU funded project CORONADX. The project will develop new and rapid instruments for on-site diagnosis of COVID-19, ensuring fast case detection and surveillance and more effective response of the health care system.
On 11th March 2020 WHO declared novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. The new COVID-19 originated in Wuhan,China, and has spread to 114 countries. Sensitive, specific and rapid diagnostic testing not only paves the way toward effective treatment but also plays a critical role in preventing the transmission of infectious diseases and curbing the total number of infected individuals.
The new CORONADX project will deliver three portable and very easy to use measuring systems suited for diagnosticsof COVID-19 Coronavirus:
– PATHAG: simple handheld instrument using specially designed antibodies to detect the presence of coronavirus in thesample. The result will be available in less than 1 minute
– PATHPOD: portable instrument containing specially designed microchips, called lab-on-a-chip. The sample is placed on the chip, which analyses by measuring the biological reactions, and the result is available on computer or tablet in 30 minutes
– PATHLOCK: quick diagnostic test designed for use outside hospitals with minimum of equipment or sample treatment requirements. The result is ready in under an hour
Testing systems will provide rapid diagnosis, eliminating the samples’ transport time to central laboratories, allowing for fast surveillance procedures, more effective response of the health care system and fewer people in quarantine.
CORONADX started in April 2020 and will run until April 2023. The project is coordinated by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and run by a consortium including eight partners at the forefront of detection technology research worldwide.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
