BD and Scanwell Health partner to create at-home SARS-CoV-2 test

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) and Scanwell Health have entered a partnership to create an at-home rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 using a BD antigen test and the latter’s mobile app.

As part of the collaboration, the company intends to make a lateral flow antigen test and pair it with the Scanwell Health mobile app.

The app can potentially offer step-by-step instructions on collecting and transferring a nasal swab sample and the use of a mobile device’s camera in evaluating and interpreting the results. The test results will be displayed on the screen of the mobile device.

The companies also intend to develop functionality for supporting automated reporting to public health agencies.

BD Life Sciences president Dave Hickey said: “Testing at home before going out into the public is a critical safeguard to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

“We see the development of an at-home lateral flow rapid antigen test as a complementary solution to our best-in-class BD Veritor system.”

The BD Veritor Plus System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 is authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a EUA for use in authorised laboratories to identify proteins from SARS-CoV-2.

Scanwell Health founder and CEO Stephen Chen said: “Partnering with an industry leader like BD creates a unique opportunity to help millions of people test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the safety and comfort of their homes.

“Scanwell’s innovative computer vision technology closely mirrors that of point-of-care and laboratory diagnostic systems. We’re excited to leverage our experience in building FDA-cleared apps to bring this solution to market.”

The company merges proven diagnostics with patented computer vision technology to support testing by the people themselves, facilitating faster detection of acute illnesses and easy chronic disease monitoring.

Last week, the FDA granted EUA to BD’s novel molecular diagnostic test for both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A+B.