Dive Brief:
- With successful positive identification of Ebola in 92% of infected patients in just 15 minutes, Corgenix's ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test can help identify Ebola more rapidly than conventional 24-hour tests.
- In clinical studies, the ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test was 85% effective at screening out people not infected with Ebola.
- Corgenix was given numerous grants to develop this test, including a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and two grants totaling $818,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dive Insight:
The remarkable thing about ReEBOV is not its accuracy—the tests that take 24 to 48 hours are more accurate. Rather, having the ability to make a diagnosis in 15 minutes (without electricity) allows clinicians to start treatment earlier and saves patients from hours and potentially days of not know their status. Moreover, knowing sooner provides a basis for decreasing the risk of transmission. While the science isn't perfect, the humanitarian implications are very positive.
What makes this test different from standard Ebola tests? Standard tests search the virus's genetic material for nucleic aides, while the Corgenix 15-minute test searches for the Ebola protein.