Lucence, A*Star develop Covid-19 saliva sampling kit that inactivates virus in 45s

Vivienne Tay

Published Tue, Jun 16, 2020 · 10:00 AM

MOLECULAR diagnostics company Lucence and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) have developed a Covid-19 saliva sampling kit which inactivates the virus within 45 seconds of sample collection.

The reagent used in the Safer-Sample saliva collection kit also stabilises the viral RNA at room temperature for up to one week. This means samples can be transported to a lab without the need for chilling.

Conventional viral transport media used for collecting nasal and nasopharyngeal swab specimens do not inactivate viral samples. This creates a risk of exposure to the active Covid-19 virus during transportation from collection sites to the laboratory. There are also higher costs associated with biohazard handling procedures.

Moreover, conventional viral transport media requires cold-chain transport to prevent sample degradation.

The reagent was invented at A*Star's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. Lucence had worked with the Diagnostics Development Hub of A*Star to evaluate the virucidal properties of the Safer-Sample reagent. Meanwhile, Duke-NUS Medical School performed the virucidal work with the virus.

The kit has been awarded an ISO13485:2016 certification. It is also registered as a Class A medical device with the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore, the company added.