Pioneering COVID-19 Testing Platform Combines Saliva-Based Sampling, Pooled Testing and PCR Diagnostics

A pioneering COVID-19 testing platform combines saliva-based sampling, pooled testing and PCR diagnostics to enable high-quality, high-throughput, low-cost detection of SARS-CoV-2.

Mirimus, Inc.’s (Brooklyn, NY, USA) SalivaClear platform is designed to provide a SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic system that can be easily and repeatedly utilized by myriad organizations, from schools to businesses to government organizations, to test (and retest) groups of individuals in order to quickly isolate COVID-19 hotspots before they can become outbreaks. Mirimus has innovated high-volume COVID-19 PCR testing with SalivaClear, a three-stage surveillance and individual reflex testing strategy to monitor and detect infection in populations by testing people in groups called pools. All three-stages of testing are performed with only one self-collected saliva sample.

For collecting the sample, Mirimus uses a simple self-collection method that is composed of a 2 mL cryogenics vial and saliva collection aid (straw). The saliva straw fits into a cryogenic vial and the testing individual deposits 1 mL of saliva through the straw into the vial. 1 mL of saliva is required for pool testing, subpool testing, and individual diagnostic testing. The individual samples are then shipped to Mirimus' lab where they are pooled into groups of 24 and analyzed using the FDA Emergency Use Authorized ThermoFisherScientific TaqPathCOVID-19 Combo RT-PCR Kit. The pooled test results are typically reported within 24 hours of sample receipt at the laboratory. If a pool tests positive, it is split into 12 pools of two, which are re-tested at the laboratory. If a positive signal emerges from a two-sample pool, the two individuals are asked to provide consent for a final test to determine individual positivity. SalivaClear has been shown to substantially reduce the cost associated with PCR testing and allow schools to rapidly assess transmission and make data-driven decisions to adjust prevention protocols.

"Colleges and universities have, unfortunately, been associated with a substantial number of COVID-19 cases across the country, with a recent report from The New York Times suggesting that more than 120,000 COVID-19 cases have been linked to American colleges and universities since January 1^st," said Prem Premsrirut, M.D., Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of Mirimus. "Given this, the robust surveillance testing that SalivaClear provides is essential to ensuring a safe on-campus learning environment by enabling campus health administrators to quickly isolate hotspots before they can become outbreaks."

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