Corona virus war game changer? New tests could significantly increase the number of people screened in New Jersey.

In New Jersey, more people are infected with COVID-19 than in any state other than New York, but much more than officials say they need to have a clear picture of how the virus is spreading. Testing fewer individuals.

Two new technologies that are currently being introduced to New Jersey as part of the fight against the coronavirus can significantly increase the number of tests if they can be performed.

One is a test developed by Abbott Laboratories that says its manufacturer can detect the COVID-19 virus In just 5 minutes.

Other Came out of Rutgers University research center Uses laboratory technology to make millions of copies of COVID-19 nucleic acids. Run 10,000 tests per day using high-throughput automated equipment. However, instead of using a nose or throat swab to get the viral material, the analysis can be performed on saliva samples obtained by exhaling into tubes. This is a much easier way to collect samples without resorting to healthcare professionals.

“If approved, this will drastically change what we know about SARS-CoV-2 and how we control the spread of this virus.” Rutgers Human Genetics Study in New Jersey Unit.

In New Jersey, coronavirus has been tested only 59,100 times since the outbreak began. Automated tests enabled by the RUCDR test can run numerous tests in a matter of days. With additional diagnostic equipment, tasks can be performed more quickly.

Epidemiologists and other experts say Testing for viruses And tracking the results requires maintaining the best defenses in order to slow the spread and monitor the population early on for possible infection.

“It’s still clear today that the lack of testing is one of the fundamental reasons for a large part of the growth curve,” says Geneva-based people who are infected are soaring. For-profit organizations. “I want to find these cases early and control them.”

However, while the number of test sites in New Jersey is growing, two Drive-through test site The Bergen and Monmouth counties, established with the support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are flooded daily. Traffic retraces miles every morning, and the capacity of the facility has reached its limit, so most traffic is denied shortly after the facility goes into operation. Some county-based test sites are also online, but testing is very limited.

Meanwhile, even in commercial laboratories, test supplies are still scarce. And a giant from a New Jersey-based laboratory Quest diagnosis Thousands Coronavirus Test orders are backed up and delayed for reporting results, CNN said on Wednesday, citing internal documents..

Quest, headquartered in Secaucus, About 160,000 coronavirus tests awaiting According to CNN reports, to process on March 25. The company has received a total of 320,000 test orders. A spokeswoman told the news network that the backlog had fallen. According to the company, Quest can run more than 30,000 tests a day and return results in about 4-5 days.

Analysis of the latest statewide test numbers across the country indicates that New Jersey remains the second largest in the United States for confirmed cases, both on a raw number and on a population-adjusted basis. Still, according to the data collected, it ranks 9th in per capita testing COVID tracking project. As of Wednesday afternoon, state and private laboratories had performed about 665 tests per 100,000 inhabitants. In New York State, 1,135 tests were performed per 100,000 people.

New tests developed by RUCDR Infinite Biologics of Abbott and Rutgers could significantly increase these figures.

The Abbott test is performed on existing lab equipment already used in thousands of doctors’ offices, emergency clinics, and hospital emergency departments across the country, marketed as ID NOW, resulting in influenza and streptococcal pharyngitis Used for rapid detection of infectious diseases such as. The small toaster-sized diagnostic device runs a new test that allows Abbott to detect COVID-19 in less than 5 minutes. This is 4 to 5 days currently taking a commercial lab.

The company has received an emergency use license from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Earlier this week, Governor Filmurphy announced that one of the machines would attack Bergen County, the epicenter of the coronavirus.

“It’s a small first step, but it’s an important first step,” he said.

Another test developed by Rutgers offers much larger tests. This means that the number of people undergoing COVID-19 screening will vary significantly.

“We think it’s a big deal,” said Andrew Brooks, CEO of RUCDR and director of technology development.

He said he worked with Perkins Elmer to develop an automated system that could perform 10,000 “ nuclear extractions ” of collected samples per day to search for SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleic acids. .

However, beyond automation, a breakthrough in the RUCDR test is that people can easily provide samples using saliva for COVID-19 detection. This allows you to perform thousands of tests at a time, employing a technique called the “Standard QPCR Approach” for use in the lab.

Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, Amplifies a small portion of genetic material Enable detection and form the basis for most coronavirus tests. This is the same type of molecular analysis already used in New Jersey, but very accurate, but the current test has a slow turnaround time and nasal swabs are more difficult.

“In a hospital, a lab can analyze 20 to 30 samples a day,” says Brooks. “I can run tens of thousands of samples per day and it’s fast.”

If approved, the test will initially be available on the RWJ Barnabas Health network, including Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and University Hospital in Newark, in partnership with Rutgers University.

Meanwhile, other new testing approaches being considered around the world aim to sequence the virus directly or use the CRISPR genome editor.

Sampaths, an organization focused on driving the development and delivery of new diagnostics to combat major diseases, says the need for testing is driving a growing number of new testing approaches. So-called rapid diagnostic tests are usually plastic or cardboard test strips similar to home pregnancy and HIV tests, and use chemical analysis to indicate the presence of viruses purchased by governments around the world.

“It’s exciting because it can be read quickly and the price is low, but many people have announced them and the performance data is questionable.”

Spain purchased 650,000 quick tests from a Chinese company that hardly worked because of the despair of test kits. According to Sampaths, in subsequent analysis Sensitivity is only 30%In other words, 30% of the time, we identified exactly which virus was infected. The UK has also won millions.

“Our concern is that much of the testing is based on their claims that the manufacturers did the testing, and they don’t understand what is needed to do these tests,” he says. Was.

According to Sampass, the new tests that Abbott and Rutgers are rolling out in New Jersey are different and use the latest molecular-level analysis.

He also said that Abbott was not a “fly manufacturer in the night sky” to make quick money.

“I have more confidence in the data, and additional research has been done,” he said.

Rutgers Lab tests are also based on well-established analysis. As Rutgers officials argue, he hasn’t seen any studies showing that the accuracy from saliva samples is as good or better than nasal swabs, but he said it was a good idea.

“Sampling can be potentially attractive, as it is one of the biggest problems,” he said.

Coronavirus Resources: Live map tracker | Open business | home page

Ted Sherman [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter Azuki. Facebook: @ TedSherman.reporter. look for NJ.com on Facebook.

Do you have any tips? tell me. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com Newsletter.