Igenomix, a reproductive and fertility bio-tech company, has launched its FDA-EUA approved COVID-19 RT-PCR Test, to help fight the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
The company has also introduced Igenomix Biological Passport, a service designed for organisations to plan for a safe return to the workplace. It is a combination of new COVID-19 RT-PCR diagnostic test and a COVID-19 serological antibody test.
The serological test will examine the presence of antibodies, and identifies individuals previously exposed to the virus and acquired natural immunity against it.
Igenomix said that its Biological Passport covers both patients who are currently infected and those who have been exposed and developed immunity, thereby facilitating screening and identifying infected, at risk, or immune, population.
Igenomix scientific advisory board head Carlos Simon said: “Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, our way of life has changed as we know it. Today, we believe our duty is to break one more barrier, the barrier that prevents us from returning to our normal lives.
“We hope that by applying our know-how in genetics to COVID-19 testing, we can help enable access to a COVID-19 free society.”
SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test will identify the currently infected individuals
The real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR) test is a diagnostic test designed to identify the individuals currently infected with the virus.
Igenomix has designed the test to detect the pathogen through its RNA, playing crucial role in the initial stages of an infection to prevent the infectivity when antibodies have not yet been built.
In addition, the test is capable of detecting the virus in the early stages of the infection, with sensitivity to detecting even at the lowest viral load and specificity to differentiate it from other similar viruses.
Samples will be collected by health specialists using nasopharyngeal swabs and processed in Igenomix labs under the FDA EUA.
The company said that it can process up to 1500 samples per day with results available in 48-72 hours.
