
How do I know if I have COVID-19? That is one of the most commonly asked questions since the novel coronavirus began working its way around the world.
The only way to know if a person has COVID-19 is to conduct a diagnostic test. The gold standard technology for doing these tests is a machine that uses the polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, method developed in the early 1980s.
Yet, while PCR works well, it requires dedicated equipment in a lab and trained technicians. This makes it extremely difficult to conduct tests in low- and medium-income countries and remote and rural areas where medical testing facilities are not sophisticated or common. And, as we are seeing now, even the PCR testing facilities in big cities in Italy and the United States are under severe strain.
Keith Pardee and his team at the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy may have a solution: a portable testing technology that he calls a “lab-in-a-box.”
Read the full story on U of T News
By Paul Fraumeni
More News
Image

Jillian Kohler recognized for leadership in anti-corruption work
Canadian Integrity Award honours commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity
Read More
Image

New symptom reporting tool improves quality of life for children with cancer
Researchers at Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and The Hospital for Sick Children develop standardized tool to report bothersome symptoms.
Read More
Image

Catalyzing Ontario’s bioeconomy through academic research and innovation
Professor and entrepreneur Christine Allen speaks at the 2024 Ontario Economic Summit.
Read More