Rapid test enters trial to diagnose winter respiratory infections

Southampton researchers are trialling a new rapid test that could cut the time to diagnose winter respiratory viral infections.

If proven to be accurate, the test could provide the NHS with a highly scalable, low-cost diagnostic tool for flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

This would help clinicians make faster decisions and improve patient care. The is particularly important during winter periods when hospitals face intense pressure from infections.

The study is being led by Professor Tristan Clark from University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton. It is delivered through the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.

Mounting winter pressures

Respiratory viruses are a major driver of winter pressure in the NHS. They account for a high number of emergency department visits during peak winter periods.

This increase in attendance and hospitalisation often leads to significant operational problems. These include lack of bed capacity and cancellation of elective surgery.

Current hospital PCR test processes can take over two hours to deliver a result. They require laboratory processing and are expensive to perform.

The new platform, developed by the UK medical device company Ediphor, can be used by staff without specialist training.

It could cost between £2 and £3 per test. This is comparable to lateral flow devices and would be at least ten times cheaper than current rapid PCR testing.

'Potential to be a game-changer'

The technology uses novel biosensor technology to identify respiratory viruses in just 60 seconds. The entire test process including sample collection takes around four minutes.

Professor Tristan Clark (credit: University Hospital Southampton)

Professor Clark said: “This novel and exciting technology has the potential to be a real game-changer. Rapid, accurate diagnosis is crucial during winter surges, but current testing methods are too slow and often very expensive.

“A cheap, accurate test which delivers results in just a few minutes could transform how we manage respiratory infections in hospitals as well as in other settings.”

Building evidence for adoption

The trial is already underway at UHS. It will evaluate the accuracy and performance of the test by comparing it with existing diagnostic methods. The data collected will be analysed in order to help build the evidence needed for regulatory approval and future NHS adoption.

Prof Clark added: “While this study won’t change how we manage patients this winter, it’s a vital step in generating the evidence required to support new diagnostic technologies that could make a significant difference in years to come.

“In addition, this technology is uniquely flexible in that it can be adapted to detect many different types of biomolecular targets, and not just respiratory viruses”.

Prof Clark was recently awarded a highly prestigious NIHR Research Professorship. This new trial builds on his long-standing expertise in infectious disease diagnostics and translational research. This includes earlier work on rapid flu testing published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.