The “African-European partnership for development and deployment of rapid SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antigen detection assays” is part of a joint initiative to bring together research teams from the BRCCH and the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) in collaborative projects.

The research teams, supported by the BRCCH, consist of a combination of scientists from different fields of material science, biotechnology, biology, genetics and medicine. The purpose of this study is the assessment of innovative technologies aimed at controlling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More specifically, this international consortium is bringing together and validating a variety of testing strategies (including antigen and PCR) in order to identify the solutions that are most suitable for resource-limited settings

During the first half of 2021, the team led by Prof. Stark has successfully developed and deployed multiple devices and several hundred test cartridges for the rapid identification of SARS-Cov-2 by PCR. The reliable production and scale-up of test cartridges has proven particularly challenging, but nevertheless the first batch of test material has been successfully delivered to the African partners in mid-2021. The team is now actively working with the collaborators in Africa in order to assist them in the performance validation, provide technical support and improve the tests for future iterations.