Mologic Ltd, a leading developer of lateral flow and rapid diagnostic technologies, has been awarded £1 million as part of the UK Government’s £46 million international coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention and research funding package.

The funding will be used by Mologic and global partners to develop a point-of-need diagnostic test for the virus — and to initiate research for new vaccine candidates.

Mologic (www.mologic.co.uk) will build on its experience of developing a rapid test kit for Ebola to create a new hand-held device to detect COVID-19.

This will allow health officials to test for the virus at home or in the community, providing results in 10min — without the need for electricity or a laboratory.

Mologic co-founder and chief scientific officer Paul Davis said: “As seen with the COVID-19 outbreak, viruses can quickly transmit between populations, but our knowledge to tackle this threat has also grown exponentially.

“For rapid epidemic preparedness and response, we need to develop a platform that is readily modified according to a novel pathogen, as we are demonstrating through our accelerated programmes for Ebola and COVID-19.”

Mologic medical director Joe Fitchett said: “The COVID-19 outbreak is at a critical juncture; to bring it to an end, we need next-generation diagnostics for use at the point-of-need — at home or in the community, in limited and well-resourced settings.

"Rapid detection of the virus is important to stop its spread; we are pleased that the UK Government has acknowledged this, supporting Mologic and the work of our partners to prevent further outbreaks internationally.”