Tech startups developing rapid COVID-19 tests to be taken completely at home

Computer vision company Gauss teamed up with biotechnology company Cellex to develop a rapid, at-home and point-of-care COVID-19 antigen test.

While there are other at-home COVID-19 diagnostic tests available, at least two companies are working on rapid antigen tests that can be performed by people at home without involving a laboratory.

The Gauss and Cellex test has not yet gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The companies are pushing for FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) some time this fall.

Sona Nanotech, based in Halifax, Canada, is awaiting FDA approval for its rapid detection COVID-19 antigen test. The test utilizes a nasopharyngeal swab and provides a result in 15 minutes without the use of either laboratory equipment or a reader, according to the company.

There is a growing consensus among public health officials and business leaders that a widely-accessible rapid antigen testing solution is needed to decrease the public health threat from COVID-19 and mitigate the pandemic’s economic impact until a vaccine is widely available.