UAE develops test to detect Covid-19 in asymptomatic patients

DUBAI – Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) have developed a three-step test that can detect Covid-19 in asymptomatic patients. The new test is believed to have greater accuracy than the commonly used Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and can also detect early stage of infection. The new test, developed by NYU Abu Dhabi’s Biology Programme and Centre for Genome Systems Biology, can detect lower viral loads “By adding a pre-amplification step and using microfluidic technology, we have demonstrated that this sensitive detection method can detect low viral loads, which is critical to enabling the most effective public health responses to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Youssef Idaghdour, assistant professor of biology at NYUAD. “Our three-step approach can significantly reduce the false negative rate of standard RT-PCR-based diagnostic tests for Sars-CoV2 and other viral infections,” Idaghdour said. The test would allow officials to identify and trace trace asymptomatic individuals while enhance the accuracy of air and environmental sampling for Covid-19, he explained. ICA/Expat Media

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