Q-POC: British-made device can identify Covid within 30 minutes in huge breakthrough
The world-first – known as Q-POC – has the potential to revolutionise the way killer conditions are identified and speed up treatment. And it could become a significant tool in the fight against epidemic and pandemic threats, being used at airports to instantly screen passengers arriving from infected countries, hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and clinics. On the NHS it could potentially benefit millions of patients who could have test results back in minutes before surgery.
The groundbreaking £6,000 device, made by Newcastle-based QuantuMDx, will be unveiled at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases conference, eight years after this newspaper exclusively revealed it was in production.
Chief executive Jonathan O’Halloran, who started the company from his garage in Uckfield, East Sussex, said: “Q-POC represents a new class of molecular diagnostic device – it’s fast, battery-operated, can multiplex and is so simple to operate anyone can be trained to use it. It’s a true point of care diagnostic system.
“Our system is future-proof and packs a great deal of complexity and power behind its modern lines and simple operation. Our Covid test is just the first in a portfolio designed to meet real clinical needs.”
The kit can also be used to diagnose drug resistance, telling professionals whether a patient will adversely react to treatment. And it can provide rapid diagnosis for any infectious disease, including TB, malaria, HIV, ebola, bird flu and STIs.
The device has undergone rigorous testing at St George’s, University of London.
