SwabSeq

SwabSeq

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: An article in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a team of scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have reported real-world results on SwabSeq, a testing platform that uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time to detect Covid-19.

Concept:

• SwabSeq uses sample-specific molecular barcodes to simultaneously analyse thousands of samples for the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2, the test showing extremely high sensitivity and specificity. SwabSeq was granted FDA Emergency Use Authorization
• SwabSeq is a flexible protocol and can rapidly scale up testing for novel pathogens, have optimized SwabSeq to prioritize scale and low cost, key factors that are missing from current Covid-19 diagnostics
• These results demonstrate the potential of SwabSeq to be used for SARS-CoV-2 testing on an unprecedented scale.
• SwabSeq offers a potential solution to the need for population-wide testing to stem the pandemic.