Fast, simple diagnostic test specific to 2014 Ebola outbreak

With the current epidemic of Ebola virus in West Africa, Primerdesign are racing to provide an easy-to-use, affordable solution for screening suspect Ebola patients.

"Accurate diagnostics is essential in controlling an outbreak like Ebola. There is an urgent need for rapid testing to screen suspected patients and people travelling in and out of the region," explains Dr Jim Wicks, Managing Director of Primerdesign. "Our test is quick, affordable and easy to perform," he adds.

The kit detects the DNA finger print of the Ebola Virus. It means that even minute quantities of the disease can be detected in the early stages allowing for pre-emptive healthcare intervention.

Primerdesign Ltd, which is part of the university business incubator collaboration SETsquared, has finished development work in the last few days and is meeting with the World Health Organisation to discuss plans to possibly put large numbers of these tests in to the front line in West Africa as quickly as possible.

How the kit works

Viruses all have a unique genetic fingerprint the same as we do. Ours is encoded in DNA but the Ebola virus uses RNA (Ribonucleic acid). So the kit is designed to specifically detect the Ebola RNA in a patient blood sample.

Process:

1. Blood sample is taken from patient
2. RNA is extracted with a few simple steps
3. RNA is placed in a tube with our kit ingredients
4. Tube goes in to machine
5. Analysis complete within 90 minutes

Primerdesign is a spinoff company from the University of Southampton specialising in Real-Time PCR technology. Real-Time PCR, also known as 'qPCR' is a mature technology based on the same DNA testing technology of 'CSI' fame. Primerdesign deployed the same technology during the recent horsemeat scandal in the UK and famously developed the World's first Swine Flu detection kit in the 2009 outbreak.