4basebio AG is working on developing a faster and more sensitive test for SARS-CoV-2 infection with the funds from the Carlos III Health Institute (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) that belongs to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The new research program is aimed to develop a new way of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis based on Phi29 DNA polymerase amplification. 4basebio will supply the enzymes and technical support within this project, 4basebio said.
The suggested novel method is expected to have important advantages with respect to current PCR-based detection methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection. , That means no reverse transcription required, performable at room temperature, bypassing the need for thermal cycles, faster and cheaper, and potentially increased sensitivity
The work schedule that is planned to be performed within 2 months will include the assay setup and validation, assay calibration and confirmation in clinical samples, 4basebio said.
The goal is to pave the way to an industrially scalable test, boosting the capacity of early SARS-CoV-2 detection, the company said. Furthermore, the test should have a priority orientation towards the diagnosis of the early stages of infection in humans and therefore allowing the prediction of the severity for the purpose of healthcare stratification.
The company also said that the test should be ultimately performed at primary assistance centers with minimal equipment, and even constitute the basis for portable or disposable detection devices. Finally, in a longer term, it is worth noting that a similar principle could be also applied to the detection of other viral infections, and, as a matter of fact, of any nucleic acid target, 4basebio said.