TANBead to Release LAMP Reagent Kit for SARS-CoV-2 Detection Under 30 Minutes

TAOYUAN, Taiwan - May 29, 2022 - PRLog -- Taiwan Advanced Nanotech Inc. (TANBead) releases RT-LAMP SARS-CoV-2 Detection Kit for rapid virus detection. Amidst the continuous Coronavirus-19 Disease (COVID-19) surge, lots of testing centers are overwhelmed by the number of potential patients testing for infections. Currently, testing sites mostly rely on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) to amplify and detect any positive samples.

PCR, while being a highly reliable method, takes a lot of time to amplify samples. The method involves 30-40 cycles of denaturation-annealing-extension, each performed at different temperatures (90-50-72^oC). These temperature changes in PCR are crucial; amplification would not be carried out properly without precise control of temperature. As such, PCR is usually conducted in a thermocycler, a device with accurate temperature control. Some thermocyclers could also monitor the progress of amplification in real-time, eliminating gel electrophoresis process and saves time. However, PCR still requires the continuous heating and cooling cycle, taking up a significant amount of time.

Based on RT-LAMP (Real Time-Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification), TANBead's new kit serves as an alternative to PCR-based kits. LAMP is a nucleic acid amplification technique that could be performed at a constant, isothermal temperature. As it does not require continuous temperature changes, the time requirement for amplification with LAMP is shorter than PCR. Thus, within the same time frame, a user would be able to handle a larger number of samples with LAMP-based kits in comparison to PCR. The kit also does not require any new equipment, any real-time thermocycler available and set at stable temperature (65 degrees) will do the job.

Specifically designed for SARS-CoV-2 detection, TANBead's RT-LAMP kit has been proven to be able to detect positive samples in less than 30 minutes. The kit can detect the presence of COVID-19 virus even from samples with only 10 copies of viral RNA. Strongly positive samples (containing ~10⁷ copies of virus) can generate results as fast as 10 minutes, faster than PCR-based kits. Samples can be obtained from saliva, blood serum, urine, or swabs. The kit is also supported with fluorescent signals, enabling real-time detection for quantitative measurement.

This product is expected to be available in June 2022. With kits that could reduce the SARS-CoV-2 amplification time, a laboratory would be able to increase their diagnostic capacity, improve their time and energy allocation. With better resources allotment as such, coping with COVID-19 will be easier and more widely available for everyone. Visit TANBead at https://www.tanbead.com