As the COVID-19 pandemic has run its course, the questions we have been asking ourselves have evolved: from “How do I know if I’m infected?” to “How strong is my immunity?” to “Which strain of the virus do I have?” And, as new variants continue to emerge, it’s likely that we’ll keep asking ourselves those questions, often at the same time. Now, there’s a way to get answers to all of them in a couple of hours, without needing to send samples to a lab. A new point-of-care diagnostic device created by members of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University combines the Institute’s eRapid and SHERLOCK technologies into a single, postcard-sized system that can simultaneously detect the presence of both SARS-CoV-2 RNA and antibodies against the virus in a patient’s saliva, and potentially multiple other biomarkers.
