CCU, Conway Medical Center creating non-invasive COVID-19 test with results in 90 minutes
Professors at Coastal Carolina University have teamed with medical staff at Conway Medical Center to develop a new screening test for novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection, and it is entering the validation process.
The validation process involves comparing the results of the CCU-developed test with the standard test that is currently available to patients at CMC.
Successful validation results will allow for an Emergency Use Authorization that could increase the amount of local testing for COVID-19, according to CCU, and over time develop a new method for testing that has a higher capacity than is currently available.
The test requires only a touch of the tongue to gather saliva rather than the more invasive nasal swab that is currently being used.
The timeframe for validation has not been established. Samples are being collected by consenting patients at CMC. “It really depends on how many positive samples we get and how accurate the test is,” said CCU biochemistry professor Paul Richardson, Ph.D., in a release.
“As the virus spreads, it becomes increasingly important to ramp up testing for COVID-19 to better manage the spread of the virus,” said Michael Roberts, dean of the Gupta College of Science at CCU. “Nationwide, we may require a capability of close to a million a day to meet the expected demand and to expand proper patient care”
In April, CCU professor and chair of the S.C. Floodwater Commission Tom Mullikin inquired if there were faculty at CCU who had the capability to develop a rapid test.
Biology professor Michelle Barthet, Ph.D., developed several strategies for possible high-capacity testing. Using CCU’s new test, CMC would be able to test 28 samples for the virus in less than 90 minutes. Current testing times can take up to 48 hours to deliver results.
Barthet worked with Richardson to develop the testing protocol and it was approved by the CCU Institutional Review Board in April.
Both participating institutions believe the impacts of the test can reach beyond the local community.
“This project, in addition to being a strong testament to the fruitful collaborations between Coastal Carolina University and Conway Medical Center, is also a means to help increase testing capabilities in our area and serve as a model for other communities to increase their testing capacity,” Roberts said.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 2:12 PM.
