A drug and health screening company has taken on staff to cope with global demand for its Covid-19 rapid testing kits.
SureScreen, in Derby, has created a 10-minute test – one of the very first – which is now being used across the world.
Now it has teamed up with the University of Derby to employ students to work on the assembly and distribution of the kits before they are sent out to countries as diverse as Panama to Portugal.
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The coronavirus antibody detection test even received an endorsement from the hospital that saved the life of Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Experts at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital and Kings College University, in London, have been carrying out one of the most exhaustive examinations of antibody tests since Covid-19 emerged.
They have been comparing the accuracy of tests from different companies and have published data which shows that the test developed by SureScreen performed outstandingly in critical areas.
The tests have been deemed so good that the prestigious hospital is now using them daily.
The study illustrates how important quality antibody testing is for combatting Covid-19.
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If used in mass testing, it could be vital in showing how many people had contracted the virus and lead to a better understanding of potential immunity.
SureScreen hopes that St Thomas’s validation will mean that it can work more closely with Public Health England in testing and helping NHS workers and those in the care sector.
It would be particularly useful in demonstrating whether NHS workers have had Covid-19 or not.
The firm, based at Prime Enterprise Park, has been involved in diagnostic healthcare testing for a quarter of a century.
It developed its 10-minute Covid-19 test within weeks of the outbreak in Wuhan.
Since then millions of its tests have been used in 30 countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa and Peru.
Director David Campbell said in some analyses, it had emerged as the most reliable on the market.
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Mr Campbell said: “We have orders for millions of kits which need to be shipped out to meet the urgent demand across the world.
“We want to help save lives wherever we can and demand for our products has never been greater.
“Therefore, we are delighted to have been able to give young people the chance to be at the cutting edge of the fight against Covid 19.
“We have worked closely with the University of Derby for many years, and they have always been very helpful in working with us on projects such as the Invest to Grow programme and supporting with graduate recruitment.
“Our test detects two key antibodies, which are created by the body in response to Covid-19 infection; known as IgG and IgM.
“The test can be used quickly in 10 minutes at the patient side, without the need to wait on results from the laboratory.
“It is perfect for use in a hospital setting, or longer-term to identify if someone has built up antibodies from a previous infection.
“We hope that the test can be used within the NHS to help the fight against this pandemic.”