Scientists from Ukraine’s Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics (IMBG) have developed a new polymerase chain reaction test that can diagnose COVID-19 and two influenza strains — A and B — at once, the institute announced on Facebook on Dec. 21.
Scientists verified the new test on patient samples provided by the Center for Public Health in Kyiv. Conducting the test takes about six hours.
Currently, laboratories must conduct two tests — one for COVID-19 and another for influenza. The IMBG’s new invention promises to simplify diagnostics.
Now, the scientists expect the Ministry of Health to express interest in and eventually purchase their test.
“Considering the similarity of flu symptoms and coronavirus disease, such a PCR test is especially relevant now, when Ukraine is expecting a seasonal flu epidemic,” the Institute said in an official statement.
Additionally, the scientists are completing work on a test that will identify five viruses in one analysis, including rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, and measles, which is especially dangerous for children and has been experiencing an upsurge in Ukraine in recent years.
Since January 2020, Ukrainian scientists at IMBG have been developing test systems for diagnosing COVID-19.
The first Ukrainian patient with COVID-19 was diagnosed with a test made by IMBG in March.
Later that month, IMBG produced 600 PCR tests and gave them to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health and a regional lab in the city of Zhytomyr.
Only after that did the government give the institute a small amount of funding for producing tests.
IMBG was ready to produce new batches of tests, but couldn’t because of underfunding. Also in March, it had to force its employees to take unpaid leave because it couldn’t pay salaries.
“We have massive and chronic underfunding for all institutions of the National Academy of Sciences,” Mykhailo Tukalo, IMBG director, said in March 2020.
