A staff member checks the quality of nucleic acid extraction kits at Chengdu Bio-Base Technologies Co., Ltd. in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan, Feb. 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Kun)
*By detecting two antibodies to the virus, IgM and IgG, the kit can screen patients within 15 minutes. *
NANJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Researchers with Nanjing University and Jiangsu Medomics Medical Technology Co. have jointly developed a rapid antibody test kit for the detection of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
By detecting two antibodies to the virus, IgM and IgG, the kit can screen patients within 15 minutes. It has already been put into trial use in hospitals and medical centers in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, according to the company.
"Nucleic acid testing is currently the main method for virus detection, but it requires more testing time and is more complicated to operate," said Gao Yang, a professor with Nanjing University.
The two antibodies are a sign of recent infection, and the kit can tell whether a suspect is infected and do it with high sensitivity, which has important clinical significance and can help control disease spread, the company said. ■
