Many of us have seen and even felt what it’s like to have a test for COVID-19. One Connecticut medical science company saw the national struggle to make tests available, so they took on the challenge.
“My goal was to create something anybody could use anywhere,” said Jonathan Rothberg, chairman and founder Homodeus in Guilford.
Rothberg has studied DNA sequencing for decades which helped him create a COVID-19 test that gives results at home.
“We’ve basically reduced an entire laboratory to a single tablet,” said Rothberg.
The process is the same, which includes a quick nose swab and then a drop in the tube with that tablet. Thirty minutes later, you’ll find out if you have COVID-19.
“He can make a test that’s extremely accurate, and that’s what’s critical,” said Dr. John Martin, chief medical officer for Homodeus. “It will give you the confidence that when it says you don’t have it, you really don’t have it.”
They say that point is key because of the challenges with other tests that have come under scrutiny for allegedly being inaccurate.
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“It detects the virus even before you have any symptoms, when you’re most likely to spread it to people that you love,” said Rothberg.
It’s under FDA review and the team expects approval within the next two months. They’re already mass producing the machines and test kits in Guilford.
“The minute we have approval, we’ll have these tests out in Connecticut,” said Rothberg.
They’ve already heard from the FDA on another COVID-19 project: a treatment. The FDA approved a clinical drug trial at Yale New Haven Hospital. It will begin this week.
