ZiP Diagnostics has developed a molecular POC test for screening and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. This test was designed primarily for resource-limited settings where traditional laboratory-based instruments may be challenging to operate. Due to the proprietary nature of the assay design, ZiP’s assay is cost-effective and is faster than traditional laboratory-based RT-PCR methods.
​
The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) has funded ZiP to evaluate this test in Africa. This week Dr Charles Narh, a post-doctoral researcher originally from Ghana, will commence the field validation study of ZiP’s new high-sensitivity SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid point-of-care (POC) test.
​
The study will be conducted in close collaboration with the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit of the Water Research Institute (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and the World Health Organisation HIV/Influenza Reference Laboratory at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR). These organisations have been spearheading Ghana’s SARS-CoV-2 testing and sequencing responses in communities across the entire country.
​
Charles will spend up to two months in Ghana to assess the clinical sensitivity and specificity of our test and will compare the performance to that of RT-PCR. The data generated will inform the utilisation of the ZiP-CoVx-P2 assay for SARS-CoV-2 testing in low-middle-income countries.
*The ZiP-CoVx-P2 test is not approved for use in all markets.