Singapore launches new test kit to detect COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies within hour

SINGAPORE - Singapore's Duke-NUS Medical School has launched a new rapid test kit to search infections with COVID-19 by locating neutralizing antibodies, within one hour.

Called cPass, it is to rapidly detect specific antibodies, proteins in the blood that are created by the immune system to help fight off disease, that neutralize the virus and prevent it from infecting a patient's cells.

The key advantage of the new cPass test is that it can be rapidly conducted within an hour in most research or clinical labs.

In contrast, other COVID-19 tests to measure these neutralizing antibodies require the use of live virus, cells, highly skilled operators and complex laboratory procedures that are generally less sensitive and take several days to obtain results.

At a virtual press conference here Friday, the school announced that it would be co-developing and manufacturing the test kit, together with GenScript Biotech Corporation, a leading global biotechnology company, and Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research Diagnostics Development Hub.

The cPass diagnostic test was invented by Wang Linfa, director of the Duke-NUS' emerging infectious diseases program, and his team.

Wang said the test can be used for contact tracing, reservoir or intermediate animal tracking, assessment of herd immunity, longevity of protective immunity and efficacy of different vaccine candidates.

"It does not require a biosafety containment facility, which makes it immediately accessible to the global community, including many developing nations," Wang said.

So far, there has been keen interest from countries for the test kit, which have been trialed in Thailand and Malaysia, said Wang.