Recently, Pluslife Biotech, an enterprise based in the Greater Bay Area, launched the first handheld Covid-19 Nucleic Acid Test to help with epidemic prevention and control.
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Hong Kong has been severely hit by the latest wave of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks. In response to challenges including the lack of manpower for pandemic prevention and control, and the limited testing capacity, the Hong Kong SAR government has rolled out a universal program, distributing testing kits and allowing the residents to test themselves for COVID-19. Those who need to confirm the results can go to the testing stations to get additional confirmatory qPCR tests.
The Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19 (Trial Version 8), jointly released by the National Health Commission and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, clearly states that the positive result of nucleic acid test is the primary criterion for COVID-19 diagnosis. Compared to rapid antigen test, the sensitivity and specificity of nucleic acid test are far superior, and it can also detect infected patients at a much earlier stage. However, current common nucleic acid test like qPCR test requires expensive instruments and cumbersome operation processes, so the tests are primarily used in hospitals, third-party testing centers or laboratories. As such, qPCR test is not conducive to obtaining test results immediately at community-based testing sites.
Although rapid antigen test is simple and convenient to use, its sensitivity is significantly lower than that of qPCR test. In most cases, it can only detect strong positive samples, and if the concentration of viruses contained in the samples does not reach a certain number, there will be a probability of false negatives. Thus, in the early phases of infection, qPCR test is more accurate than antigen test.
Professor Zhou SONGYANG, Founder of Pluslife Biotech, said, “With the rapid spread of COVID-19 and increasing need for COVID-19 monitoring, developing suitable nucleic acid Point of Care Testing (POCT) products that are as low-cost and convenient as rapid antigen test, while retaining the accuracy and sensitivity the same as qPCR test, would be meaningful for the society as a whole to better control the pandemic.”
Pluslife Biotech is a developer and manufacturer of POCT nucleic acid testing & home-test products based in the Greater Bay Area. The company has urgently deployed the first batch of thousands of test kits for use to Hong Kong hospitals and clinics. Pluslife Biotech is a new force in the fight against the pandemic with technology, and one of the first companies in China to launch in vitro diagnostic (IVD) home-based POCT nucleic acid testing. Pluslife Mini Dock, developed by Pluslife Biotech, is the first handheld POCT nucleic acid testing product for COVID-19. The company has completed ISO13485 quality management system and CE certification and achieved sales in many regions across the globe.