UNIVERSITY OF UTAH, ARUP, AND TECHCYTE DEVELOP NANOSPOT.AI, A NEW ULTRA-FAST TEST FOR COVID-19 ANTIBODIES
April 30, 2021
The University of Utah (the U), ARUP Laboratories, and Techcyte Inc. announced that they have formed a partnership to develop
NanoSpot.AI, a less than five-minute, easy-to-administer COVID-19 antibody test. NanoSpot.AI is estimated to be significantly less expensive to manufacture than other antibody tests, so it has the potential to be much more affordable and extend across the globe.
“Other antibody tests are available and are very good, but it takes time to get test results back and they’re relatively expensive,” said Hans Haecker, MD, PhD, who codeveloped NanoSpot.AI with Vanessa Redecke, MD, PhD. Both are professors in the U Pathology Department Division of Microbiology and Immunology.
The U’s Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center, which manages the U’s innovations and drives them to market, is now seeking partners to launch Nanospot.AI.
The partners in NanoSpot.AI created a video that explains the science behind the assay, demonstrates how the test is administered, and provides details about the AI used to analyze and confirm test results.
The patent-pending NanoSpot.AI is performed on a spot of blood obtained through a finger prick. Individuals then receive their test results on their mobile phones. The test could be used around the globe to help prioritize who should receive COVID-19 vaccinations, or to easily and quickly detect whether individuals have some immunity against COVID-19 for travel or immigration purposes. Clinical studies validating NanoSpot.AI are currently underway.
Haecker said the assay can be easily adapted to test for antibodies to COVID-19 variants as new mutations emerge. The test can be viewed as a platform because it and the AI can be developed to test for antibodies against other viruses.
“This has been an extremely effective partnership and collaboration between the U, ARUP and Techcyte, demonstrating how university technology can be fast-tracked by collaborating with the right partners,” said Aaron Duffy, technology manager at the U’s Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center. PIVOT Center, which manages the U’s innovations and drives them to market, is now seeking partners to launch Nanospot.AI.
“As a national reference laboratory, ARUP has a wide view of laboratory diagnostics,” said Mark Astill, ARUP director of Research and Development. “The expertise and experience we bring enabled what may be the first instance of combining seemingly disparate elements to produce a rapid, economical, QR-code-curated, consistent, point-of-care result.