We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App





Sorrento Therapeutics to Market Columbia University’s Rapid On-Site Detection Test for SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Saliva

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 30 Jul 2020
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. More...
(San Diego, CA, USA) has entered into a licensing agreement with Columbia University (New York, NY, USA) for the rights to a rapid, one-step diagnostic test that detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 30 minutes from a sample of saliva.

Unlike other commercially available diagnostic products, the test developed by Columbia University's team, to be marketed by Sorrento under the COVI-TRACE name, holds all of the testing materials in a single tube and requires no specialized laboratory equipment, making it easily deployable for point of care, on-site or potentially at-home testing.

Current diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 detect viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) but must be shipped to a reference laboratory unless the facility collecting the samples has purchased costly instrumentation, cartridges and consumables to extract viral RNA from the fluid in which the sample, either a nasopharyngeal swab or saliva, is placed. The current backlog in SARS-CoV-2 testing has resulted in average turnaround times of between several days to over a week, and laboratories across the country are reportedly struggling to keep up with increased testing demand.

However, the COVI-TRACE approach developed by Columbia University's team eliminates the extraction step and simplifies overall sample processing. A small sample of saliva is collected in a cup and then placed into a tube containing enzymes and reagents that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus's RNA. The tube is then placed into a simple heat block or water bath to keep the sample warm throughout the chemical reaction, which takes 30 minutes or less to provide a colorimetric reading based on detection of the presence of the virus. A study that evaluated the new test in 60 samples, including 30 samples with virus and 30 without, found sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 100%, respectively, and the ability to detect as few as one or two copies of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a microliter of saliva.

"Testing for SARS-CoV-2 needs to be fast, frequent, and far-reaching. We are delighted to work with Sorrento Therapeutics in the hope that COVI-TRACE may be scaled and deployed in the U.S. and around the world to combat the spread of COVID-19," said Dr. Zev Williams, Director of the Columbia University Fertility Center.

"We are building a portfolio of highly relevant COVID-19 solutions that spans diagnostics, prevention, early intervention and rescue therapies," said Dr. Henry Ji, Chairman and CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. "COVI-TRACE will be a key asset in our diagnostic solutions, and we intend to move rapidly to submit an emergency use authorization request to the FDA and prepare for full-scale production. Such a simple, deployable and cost-effective solution, in synergy with our potentially neutralizing antibodies, could become the 'economy opener' our country has been waiting for."

Related Links:
Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Columbia University



Gold Member
Universal Transport Solution
Puritan®UniTranz-RT
Serological Pipet Controller
PIPETBOY GENIUS
New
PSA Assay
CanAg PSA EIA
New
Silver Member
Fibrinolysis Assay
HemosIL Fibrinolysis Assay Panel
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.