LoCKamp device returns Covid-19 results in minutes

The LoCKamp (lab on chip amplification) device is claimed to be globally unique due to the integration of all test elements (sampling, identifying specific DNA sequences, and displaying rapid results) in a compact and portable unit. According to Bath, the device’s genetic analysis is superior to rapid tests currently in use, which are protein-based.

LoCKamp has been developed by members of the university's Centre for Biosensors, Bioelectronics and Biodevices (C3Bio) and clinical trials are scheduled for September with partners at Royal United Hospitals in Bath.

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Dr Despina Moschou, a lecturer in Bath’s Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering and the Lab on Chip expert in C3Bio, is leading the test’s development. She said: “The portable all-in-one device we’re working on would allow for the rapid identification of a virus or known variants.

“The difference the LoCKamp test offers is the standard of testing. Existing rapid LFA [lateral flow assay] tests detect a virus by looking for proteins or antibodies within a sample, whereas the genetic test we are advocating identifies a full genetic sequence specific to the virus. It’s like an enhanced, faster, miniaturised PCR test, that doesn’t need to be sent to a lab to be analysed.