LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell is working on a new rapid test to detect coronavirus that people can use at home.
Dr. Gulden Camci-Unal is heading up the research project that is developing a test that could give people results in as little as five minutes.
Instead of the invasive nasal swab, the small devide tests saliva, blood, urine or nasal fluid.
“So you place the sample on the device and you wait for five minutes and then it will tell you, you know, the virus is present in the sample or not. So it’s really as simple as that,” Camci-Unal said.
More than likely, the test will cost consumers less than $20.
Camci-Unal said she believes her test will not only be used in the home but also by medical professionals and first responders in the field.
“The nice thing is the patient can, you know do the test at home and prevent further spread of the disease, right,” she said. “That they don’t have to travel somewhere if they’re a carrier for example. So that also eliminates the spreading of the virus.”
Camci-Unal said her team is now ready to start testing on a wide sample of patients and should all go well, she hopes to roll it out to the public in a matter of months.
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