Diagnostic Companies Shine in COVID-19 Gloom - EE Times India

The opportunity is huge for diagnostic companies, especially those with microfluidic systems, but can these vendors produce millions of tests per week? “To detect the presence of a pathogen, the molecular test remains the most reliable, especially when compared to immunoassays which are less expensive but less accurate.” In its 2019 report, Yole explained that PoC testing, though considered as microfluidics’ greatest promise with the potential for rapid-testing cartridges to reach millions of units per year, were struggling to achieve mass production. The huge demand for Covid-19 diagnostic tests could reverse the trend, but are companies ready to move to mass production in a short period of time? Large companies have the financial resources to move fast, and the U.S. government, among others, is funding the production of Covid-19 diagnostic tests. Now that the virus has spread to the four corners of the world, affecting developing countries with limited financial resources, the cost issue arises. “This is a complex question,” said Clerc, assuming that international humanitarian organizations and large companies would reinforce their commitment as they have done for tuberculosis and AIDS, and provide cheaper tests to the local population. “The health industry is the highest priority in today’s environment, and governments are doing everything they can to keep the factories running,” said Clerc. Lessons will be learned from this crisis, and “the pandemic will certainly leave its mark on the way we work, produce and live in society,” said Clerc. To end on a positive note, Clerc outlined the mobilization of all industries: “The entire scientific and medical community has come together to try to find solutions to this pandemic and save lives.”