To fill the need for rapid and reliable COVID-19 testing, the lab of Ping Wang, PhD, DABCC, FAACC, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has developed a rapid antigen test that can detect small loads of SARS-CoV-2 with sensitivity as high as a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which is currently considered the gold standard in the diagnostic community. The technology works by using a smartphone camera to photograph and measure the size and number of miniature, gas-filled bubbles — called microbubbles — in a chemical reaction using a patient’s nasal swab. Wang and her research team validated their test with clinical nasal swabs from 372 patients and found that it was able to identify 97 percent of positive swabs and 97 percent of negative swabs when compared to PCR methods. Their results were published recently in the journal Clinical Chemistry. Support for this study includes the NIH RADx program, the Penn Center for Precision Medicine, Penn Health-Tech, and the Penn Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry.
Read the Penn Medicine Communications news blog
Read the article in 360Dx
Coverage by ABC affiliate WPVI Channel 6 Action News on the microbubbling technology and Dr. Ping Wang as a "Hometown Hero"