Japanese Firm, University Develop COVID-19 Rapid Genetic Testing System

A Japanese company and university have developed a rapid genetic testing system for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, that is now available for application in government-conducted testing.

Canon Medical Systems Corporation and Nagasaki University have completed the development of ‘Genelyzer KIT’ – a set of reagents for SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing based on a gene amplification technique known as the ‘fluorescent LAMP method’.

LAMP refers to loop-mediated isothermal amplification, a single-tube technique for the amplification of DNA and a low-cost alternative to detect certain diseases.

According to the two partners, the testing system makes it possible to quickly detect a novel coronavirus gene in patient specimens.

The entire procedure, they explained, including extraction of the viral genome prior to testing, can be completed in a short time of 40 minutes or less.

The results of validation of the rapid genetic testing system employing this technique were released in a report titled, ‘Validation of 2019-nCoV gene testing method in which clinical evaluation results were obtained using clinical specimens’ were released in March by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan.

The report findings showed a specificity of 100 percent and a sensitivity of 90 percent or more.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare granted approval for utilising the rapid genetic testing system in government-conducted testing.