UNITED KINGDOM — Engineers at the University of Bath have unveiled a virus diagnosis device that can deliver laboratory-quality results in a mere three minutes.
Aptly named the LoCKAmp device, it harnesses innovative ‘lab on a chip’ technology and is set to redefine the landscape of Covid-19 testing, offering rapid and cost-effective detection from nasal swabs. The LoCKAmp device represents a leap forward in diagnostic capability.
With the potential to detect not only Covid-19 but also other pathogens, including bacteria and even conditions like cancer, it offers a versatile solution for healthcare providers and public health organizations.
Dr. Despina Moschou, from Bath’s Centre for Bioengineering & Biomedical Technologies (CBio), emphasizes, “This is an amazing display of the possibilities of lab-on-a-chip technology, and given the low cost and adaptability of the technology to detect a range of conditions, a potentially highly valuable and unique tool for a range of healthcare settings.”
The device operates by rapidly extracting and amplifying genetic material from nasal swab samples through a chemical reaction, displaying the results on a smartphone app.
What sets the LoCKAmp apart from conventional lateral flow assays is its use of the ‘gold standard’ genetic-based testing techniques, akin to lab-based PCR tests.
This innovative approach enables rapid testing at a laboratory-scale standard, a remarkable milestone in Covid-19 diagnostics.
Speed and scalability
The speed at which the LoCKAmp delivers results is truly remarkable. Clocking in at just three minutes, it currently stands as the fastest Covid-19 test known to date.
This swiftness, coupled with the device’s composition of off-the-shelf components and factory-manufactured printed circuit boards, opens the door to mass production at a low cost.
A commercial partner with the requisite design and manufacturing expertise could swiftly transform the LoCKAmp into a compact, portable device, with immense potential for use in remote healthcare settings.
Engaging with both academic and commercial partners, the research team is eager to bring LoCKAmp into production, ensuring its accessibility and availability in healthcare settings.
The device and its operational principles are elaborated in the research paper titled “LoCKAmp: Lab-on-PCB Technology for <3 Minute Virus Genetic Detection,” published in the prestigious journal Lab on a Chip.
Dr. Despina Moschou, who led the research at Bath’s Center for Bioengineering & Biomedical Technologies (CBio), emphasizes the device’s potential: “This is an amazing display of the possibilities of lab-on-a-chip technology, and given the low cost and adaptability of the technology to detect a range of conditions, a potentially highly valuable and unique tool for a range of healthcare settings.”
Utilizing readily available printed circuit board technology and existing mass manufacturing infrastructure, the team believes the device can be produced swiftly and inexpensively on a large scale.
The LoCKAmp consists of a portable testing unit and disposable cartridges for each test. The projected cost for the testing unit is as low as £50 (approximately US$62) in mass production, while the test cartridges, initially priced at £2.50 (US$ 3), could drop to less than 50 pence.
How LoCKAmp works
LoCKAmp operates using a process called RT-LAMP (reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification) to amplify specific RNA sequences, allowing for rapid detection of the targeted virus.
LAMP detection surpasses PCR testing in sensitivity, speed, and specificity. A critical advantage of LoCKAmp is that it processes samples at a constant temperature of 65°, in contrast to the three thermal cycles required by PCR tests.
This not only enables portability but also reduces power consumption. Furthermore, no preprocessing of nasal swab samples is necessary.
The LoCKAmp device facilitates the release of RNA genetic material from the virus through microfluidic channels and copper heaters on a circuit board.
When the virus RNA is present in the amplified sample, it fluoresces under light, confirming a positive test.
The development of LoCKAmp involved collaboration between the University of Bath and the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow, as well as the John Innes Centre.
COVID-19 patient swabs collected by Bath’s Royal United Hospital Trusts were used to test the device during the third wave of the pandemic.
Scope to track outbreaks via wastewater
Beyond testing nasal swab samples, LoCKAmp has the potential to carry out anonymized community-level monitoring and virus detection, even in wastewater.
While this application requires some preprocessing of wastewater samples, it leverages expertise in wastewater-based epidemiology at Bath’s Water Innovation Research Centre.
Using LoCKAmp for real-time analysis of wastewater could offer a powerful tool for public health organizations to swiftly detect the spread of viruses like COVID-19 or other infectious diseases.
This approach provides a broader, community-wide view, reducing reliance on individual testing.
Professor Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, an expert in environmental epidemiology at Bath’s Department of Chemistry, envisions the exciting possibilities: “With LoCKAmp technology providing both low cost and real-time genetic target identification and quantification, we’re getting ever closer to real-time pathogen tracking.
“This opens exciting opportunities enabling the establishment of early warning systems utilizing wastewater for pathogen surveillance in communities.”
For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
