Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech incubator LabCentral has launched a collaborative project to help test and validate quick, simple diagnostics for COVID-19 that people can use to screen themselves at home.
In partnership with lab facility provider BioLabs, the Cambridge Consortium for Rapid COVID-19 Tests kicked off a clinical trial last month to evaluate an antigen test developed by LabCentral alum E25Bio.
The self-administered diagnostic, using nasal swabs or saliva samples, is designed to provide a result within 15 minutes without specialized equipment. The immunoassay operates similarly to a pregnancy test, with a positive or negative result shown as lines on a strip.
"We believe the key to controlling the novel coronavirus pandemic, both locally and worldwide, hinges upon affordable, reliable and widespread testing,” LabCentral and BioLabs founder Johannes Fruehauf said. “And large-scale testing utilizing specialized PCR equipment and highly-trained personnel simply isn't sustainable."
"Our goal with the CCRCT is to eliminate unacceptable wait times for both testing and results seen with PCR testing, and achieve test results in real-time, at home, at school or at a business venue, all at a very low price point,” Fruehauf said. The project is also being supported by Scismic, Integra Biosciences, BioIT, Qiagen and HiMedia.
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The consortium’s three-month trial includes volunteers from among LabCentral and BioLabs’ resident scientists and entrepreneurs. Participants are screened at home with the antigen test as well as a PCR test twice per week.
In the future, LabCentral plans to obtain CLIA certification, allowing it to process samples for COVID-19 tests outside of a clinical trial setting and to serve as a resource for other companies developing diagnostic tests through the consortium.