NUS Developed 3 New Swab For Covid-19 Test Kit
The National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a 3 new designs of swab that claim to comparable to the gold standard swabs that are used to test for the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
With 40 million pieces of the 2 designs are expected to be produced here over the next few months and the price will be lower than the existing commercial one which is imported. As Nasophargyngeal swabs are the key element in testing for the virus, there are actually a flexible sticks with a designed tip section that are inserted into the nose to the back of the nasal cavity to collect a fluid sample from an individual.
The team led by Professor John Eu-Li Wong, Associate Professor Yen Ching-Chiuan and Professor Jerry Fuh — developed a 3D-printed swab named “Python” and also they have worked with professors from NUS’ Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, researchers from the NUS School of Design and Environment and the NUS Faculty of Engineering, as well as clinicians from the National University Hospital (NUH), on the design, pre-clinical testing and clinical validation of the swab.
Currently, clinical trials of these swabs are being carried out in NUH and the Singapore General Hospital and patents have been filed for the two designs.
Photo: National University of Singapore