Researchers design rapid COVID test that identifies variants

UT Southwestern researchers design rapid COVID test that identifies variants UT Southwestern researchers have created a rapid COVID-19 test that can identify different variants of the coronavirus in as little as four hours. The... Dallas News

UT Southwestern researchers have created a rapid COVID-19 test that can identify different variants of the coronavirus in as little as four hours.

The researchers hope doctors can use their test, called CoVarScan, to tailor COVID-19 treatments to patients based on which variant the patients have. CoVarScan could also be used to track which variants are cropping up in different communities, and even identify new ones. ...

The research was published in the journal Clinical Chemistry this May.

Dr. Jeff SoRelle, an assistant professor of pathology at UT Southwestern, said a normal rapid COVID-19 test is a bit like going into a library and asking if they have a specific book. You get a “yes” or “no” answer as to whether that book is there or not.

Looking for variants is like reading specific paragraphs in two similar books to figure out whether the books are in their second or third edition. Between editions, words may be added, deleted or changed altogether. ...