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Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture’s coronavirus test is significantly quicker..

By on July 7, 2020

WHO-endorsed Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT), a method that detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), is one of the most commonly used coronavirus tests.

In a NAAT method, the specimen collected from the upper respiratory tract using nose/throat swab techniques is multiplied with polymerases and brought to a specialized laboratory for amplification. Detection is done using “primers” to target specific sections of genome to show if SARS-CoV-2’s RNA, its specific genetic material is present in a patient’s body. If a test comes back positive, it means there was SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in the specimen collected from the patient.

Another test called serological is performed to detect antibodies present in blood serum. Antibodies are proteins produced by white blood cells to fight foreign bodies such as antigens. A serological test helps detect the rate of infection in a community as well as the patient’s immune response.

Although highly reliable, the problem with the current process is that it can take up anywhere between 2-6 hours.

Kanagawa prefecture and RIKEN, Japan’s largest  research institution specializing on a diverse range of scientific disciplines, has jointly developed a new method called SmartAmp (also referred to as Kanagawa model) which can detect SarsCov-2 in an hour or less. Quick detection of the virus and timely response can make a big difference in a rapidly evolving situation. According to Kanagawa’s official website, the three key features of the SmartAmp are:

  1. Virus detection is significantly quicker. 24 specimens can be tested in 1 hour.
  2. Less susceptible to virus mutations.
  3. Changing reagents to respond to virus mutations. (Reagents are the main ingredients of any chemical-based test which includes inorganic mixtures of enzymes, probes, and primers created to mimic the coronavirus’s genome.)

Currently, inspection is all being done through the prefecture’s public health centers. To streamline the testing process, Kanagawa will shift inspection to medical institutions so that it can concentrate on preventing the spread of infection by contact and cluster-tracing.

 

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