IEEE SpectrumTo speed and improve coronavirus testing, groups around the world are working to make rapid tests that can be done on-the-spot and diagnose the presence of the virus in just minutes.Yet some companies have faced delays as they await government approval for testing or commercialization.
Massachusetts-based biotech E25Bio is among them. The company has all the components of a coronavirus test that could produce results in as little as 5 minutes. But researchers there have no access to the virus to test it.
They have been been waiting two months for access to the virus, despite running a laboratory that already works with zika, dengue, and West Nile virus, among others. The company’s manufacturer said they can shift from dengue to coronavirus and produce 100,000 coronavirus tests per day, says Bosch—once the test is ready.
Read More →