First at-home coronavirus test kit
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given an emergency green light to the first rapid coronavirus test that can be performed entirely at home. Lucira Health’s test kit delivers results in 30 minutes
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1. Swab: User collects nasal sample from both nostrils with sterile swab

2. Sample: Swirled in vial of chemical reagents. Vial is inserted into test cartridge

3. Test cartridge: Enzyme – reverse transcriptase (RT) – synthesizes any Viral viral RNA in sample RNA into complementary DNA (cDNA)

Test cartridge
viral RNA
cDNA

4. Assay technique: Device combines RT with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) which repeatedly copies cDNA until it reaches detectable level

5. Detection: Colour change of DNA-binding dye indicates presence of

6. Result: Displayed in 30 minutes by positive or negative LEDs
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Sources: Lucira Health, Food and Drug Administration, ACS Publications © GRAPHIC NEWS