Scientists use AI to develop better, simpler COVID-19 tests

Scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) tools to simplify a test that works for both hepatitis C and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The simplified test happens in one small test tube in just a few minutes. With further refinement, it could arrive at doctor’s offices soon and, one day, become available as home tests that are as easy as a pregnancy test, the researchers said. ”We are trying to build a home-based test that is as reliable as a lab-based test,” said Piyush Jain, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Florida (UF) in the US. ”Our objective is to develop a simple test that eliminates the need for expensive equipment and provides results in just 10 to 20 minutes,” said Jain, who led the research published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. The team is innovating on a system known as a one-pot reaction because the entire test happens in one small test tube. These tests, based on a technology known as RT-LAMP, can amplify small portions of a virus’s genome and produce a visible signal when it detects the virus. Reading these tests can be as simple as looking for a blue colour or using a small device that detects a change in the test tube, the researchers said. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved some at-home, one-pot tests for COVID-19, as a part of the emergency use authorisation, but they have a relatively high false positive rate, meaning they aren’t as reliable as they could be. ”We are combining another technology called CRISPR to determine the difference between a false positive and a true positive,” Jain said.