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press release
LEUVEN
(Belgium), October 23, 2020 — Imec, a world-leading research and
innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, announced
that it has started developing a groundbreaking SARS-CoV-2 test. Unlike
current approaches (using blood, saliva, or a nasopharyngeal swab), the
new test will identify SARS-CoV-2 virus particles in a person’s exhaled
breath. The solution promises the accurate identification of a
contagious case in less than five minutes. This will make for faster,
easier, more comfortable, and larger-scale testing – an essential
requirement for getting a grip on epidemics much sooner while limiting
their economic and social impact. Imec is teaming up with the UZ Leuven
University Hospital for the solution’s clinical validation. By the
summer of 2021, imec intends to test a functional prototype at Brussels
Airport.
This year, it has become abundantly clear that viruses
are capable of striking hard and turning people’s lives upside down. In
order to minimize the effects of epidemics and pandemics on our health,
society, and the economy, governments and experts need to be able to
swiftly and accurately assess how a virus is spreading. Today’s
SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tools come with quite a few limitations, however.
The
most sensitive and reliable tool today is the polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) test that aims at detecting the virus’s genetic material in a
nasopharyngeal specimen. This tool's downside is that trained medical
personnel must collect the swab, and the process is described by many as
highly uncomfortable. Moreover, the test comes with a processing time
(in a clinical lab) of about two days.
Another alternative, the
rapid antigen test, is less reliable due to its complexity. Lastly, the
serological test (which uses a blood sample) is faster and less
expensive than a PCR test but only detects whether someone has developed
antibodies after the person has been in contact with the virus.
“While
each of these tests can provide clues about a current or past
infection, none of them can determine to what extent someone can still
pass the virus to others. That is why we have started developing a test
that indicates, in less than five minutes, whether someone is carrying
the SARS-CoV-2 virus and whether they have a high probability of being
contagious. To accomplish this, our solution looks for SARS-CoV-2 virus
particles in a person’s exhaled breath because research shows that
breath particles are the virus’s main transmission method,” says Peter
Peumans, CTO of Health Technologies at imec.“Provided positive results
in our clinical studies, our tool will make testing for SARS-CoV-2
easier, faster, more comfortable, and possible on a much larger scale.
Moreover, we are designing our test to flexibly cope with the rise of
other viruses and germs that spread via exhaled particles – such as
influenza, RSV, and tuberculosis.”
Peter Piot, microbiologist
and member of the European Commission advisory panel on COVID-19,
confirms this: “It is now clear that the virus is transmitted
pre-symptomatically via exhaled particles. SARS-CoV-2 testing via breath
sample coupled with an ultrafast molecular analysis would be
game-changing since it would allow for the timely detection of
individuals who are most likely to transmit the virus. Because a breath
sample is much less invasive compared to swabs or saliva, it would also
allow for more frequent testing and a faster return to normal."
Imec’s
solution consists of a sample collector and an analysis unit, both of
which are being custom developed by imec researchers. Researchers are
focusing much of their attention on the sample collector, which will act
as the aerosol (and virus particle) collector and support the
solution’s high-speed real-time quantitative (RT-q)PCR functionality.
“Merging
these tasks using conventional technologies would be extremely hard to
do. But thanks to our innovation capability when it comes to using
silicon, we have developed a chip that effectively does both. Its
silicon microscale PCR cavities make for thousands of impactors that
allows us to capture the viral particles, while its powerful RT-qPCR
functionality brings down the duration of the PCR effort from 50 to 5
minutes. Importantly as well, the standard silicon technology used to
build this chip facilitates mass production at a low cost,” explains
Peumans.
“Thanks to a grant of 2 million euro provided by the
Flemish government, we are off to a flying start,” says Luc Van den
hove, CEO of imec. “After all, the speed with which we will be able to
bring this test to the market will greatly depend on the proper
financial support. In anticipation of other investors joining this
effort, imec has decided to pre-invest the necessary resources as part
of our contribution to the global fight against COVID-19.”
“We
are happy to be teaming up with imec for this exciting new development,”
says professor Katrien Lagrou, head of the molecular diagnostic lab of
UZ Leuven. “Not only will we provide extensive clinical support to
validate the test, we will also support the development using the PCR
diagnostic know-how we built up at UZ Leuven for over 20 years.” The new
test could be used very broadly. “Also, for a first SARS-CoV-2
screening of potentially contagious patients or medical staff at
hospitals, such a rapid test using exhaled breath will be very
valuable,” confirms prof. Lagrou.
Following the development of
the underlying technology, experts from the UZ Leuven University
Hospital will team up with imec to engage in an extensive clinical
study. By the summer of 2021, researchers plan to test a functional
prototype at Brussels Airport to ensure that the final solution meets
all requirements needed to enable people to travel and meet up again
safely and comfortably. “At Brussels Airport, we are convinced that
testing is and will be a key element in the recovery of the aviation
sector,” says Arnaud Feist, CEO at Brussels Airport Company. “Creating a
safe environment for our passengers is our top priority and, in this
context, it is imperative for us to rely on rapid and reliable testing".
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