Kaohsiung Municipal Xiaogang Hospital and SpectroChip Inc. signed a collaboration agreement on April 20 to publicly announce "The ONE InstantCare," a quantitative rapid screening device for COVID-19. The entire process from sample collection to screening results takes only 10 to 15 minutes. The device is currently undergoing clinical testing in collaboration with the hospital and is expected to apply for mass production in the future.

Genspeed Biotech, founded in 2018 by Professor Ko Cheng-hao, developed the "Spectrochip" after years of research. This chip can be used to analyze substance composition and measure chemical reaction changes. Current COVID-19 diagnostic methods mainly use nucleic acid (RT-PCR), antigen, and blood antibody tests. The Genspeed chip uses blood antibody testing with "synthetic antigens" to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood.

According to Professor Ko Cheng-hao, the key feature of "The ONE" quantitative rapid screening device is its ability to accurately identify and quantify antibodies (IgG/IgM). It has advantages such as speed, accuracy, wide applicability, and real-time results. The entire process, from sample collection to screening results, takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The device has a sensitivity of more than 100 times that of current rapid screening tests, which helps reduce false negatives. Its handheld size makes it portable and suitable for expanding testing capabilities. The test results are transmitted to a cloud database via a mobile app, enabling real-time monitoring of the epidemic situation.

Dr. Guo Zhao-hong, the director of Kaohsiung Municipal Xiaogang Hospital, stated that the hospital is conducting clinical trials in collaboration with SpectroChip Inc. Through blind testing, the accuracy of the device has been preliminarily verified. If government validation is obtained in the future, COVID-19 testing can be performed within 15 to 20 minutes, similar to rapid flu screening, for the detection of positive cases.

Dr. Guo Zhao-hong mentioned that rapid screening can help clarify the causes of illness and reduce the length of stay in isolation or hospital rooms for suspected patients, home-isolated individuals, or confirmed patients. It can serve as a reference for determining whether a patient is suitable for discharge. Furthermore, it can contribute significantly to large-scale medical research and field applications, making it highly beneficial for epidemic control and community prevention measures.

Source: https://ctee.com.tw/livenews/ch/chinatimes/20200420003231-260405