Bedford lab awarded £1million to develop rapid coronavirus test kit

The PM visited the lab Bedford Technology Park, Thurleigh, to announce the Wellcome Trust and the Department for International Development (DFID) will be awarding the £1million as part of the Government’s £46million package to help find a vaccine.

The funding will be used by Mologic and global partners to develop a rapid diagnostic test for the virus, as well as find a vaccine. Currently, diagnosis can take several days.

In a statement, Mologic said it would build on its experience of developing a rapid test kit for Ebola, to create a new hand-held diagnostics device to detect COVID-19.

This would allow health officials to test for the virus at home and provide results in 10 minutes. This would allow for quicker quarantine and stop the virus from spreading.

Dr Joe Fitchett, medical director at Mologic, said: “The COVID-19 outbreak is at a critical juncture, and to bring it to an end, we need next generation diagnostics for use at the point-of-need – at home or in the community, in limited and well-resourced settings.

"Rapid detection of the virus is important to stop its spread – we are pleased the UK government has acknowledged this, supporting Mologic and the work of our partners to prevent further outbreaks internationally.”

The PM said: "What we are announcing today is a £46million package of investment in UK science which will, in time, deliver a vaccine - some would say a year, perhaps around that scale - but also to help us have rapid test kits.

“Keeping the British people safe is my number one priority, and that’s why I’ve set out our four-part plan to contain, delay, mitigate and research coronavirus.”

Government chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance said: “Rapid testing is going to be key to managing this outbreak, but ultimately vaccines are going to provide the long-term protection we need. The UK has some of the world’s leading scientists and this money will help in our fight to tackle this new disease.”

The company is working in close partnership with the Institut Pasteur de Dakar to manufacture the COVID-19 test at a new manufacturing site in Senegal.

This will be the first time a diagnostics kit created in the UK will be jointly manufactured in Africa - which, experts say, will ensure its immediate availability, help manage any potential outbreaks on the continent, as well as further international spread.