CHICAGO, Jan. 19,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shield T3, the University of Illinois System's national
COVID-testing unit, is now offering pooled saliva-based PCR testing
services to universities, K-12 schools and companies to make it
easier on students and workers to get tested.
This will make gold-standard, saliva-based
COVID-19 testing more affordable for schools and companies.
Organizations that utilize the U of I-developed covidSHIELD test
for their employees or students now have the option to collect
samples from up to eight people and then test them in a single pool
or "batch" using one test, rather than run each sample on its own
test.
If the pool is positive, then one or more of the people tested
in that pool may be infected, so each sample in that pool is tested
individually. Because the samples are pooled, fewer tests are run
overall. Thus, fewer supplies are used and more tests can be run
simultaneously, leading to quicker results.
"Sample pooling, using a highly sensitive Nucleic Acid
Amplification Test (NAAT) and easily collectible and non-invasive
specimen such as saliva, is an important step forward in getting
more COVID-19 tests to more Americans while preserving testing
supplies and reducing costs," said Tulsiram "Ram" Prathapam, Chief
Scientific Officer for T3. "In that way, pooling is more than a
process or technology; it's a public health tool."
The pooled offering is now possible after the U.S. Food &
Drug Administration granted the covidSHIELD test emergency use
authorization for pooling earlier this month.
"Bar none, this will make gold-standard, saliva-based testing
more affordable for schools and companies because it conserves
valuable supplies," said Robert
Ludtke, Chief Operating Officer for Shield T3. "We hope this
will encourage more companies and schools to choose PCR testing
versus less reliable antigen testing."
The Shield T3 testing system has a built-in capability for
monitoring test results and vaccine compliance via an online
dashboard and an ability to display the compliance status in a
personal passport/badge application.
Shield T3, a for-profit organization, is providing more than 1
million tests per quarter in the United
States and abroad. It operates seven labs and plans to open
two more in response to increased demand.
About covidSHIELD
Pioneered by researchers at the
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, covidSHIELD is a comprehensive solution to
curb and control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes
COVID-19. The covidSHIELD testing process is currently in use at
schools, universities, community colleges, government entities, and
companies throughout the United
States.
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SOURCE Shield T3