Ultra-fast COVID-19 PCR test succeeds in Brussels Airport pilot study

miDiagnostics, a fast–growing POC diagnostics company backed by Belgian Family Offices, announces the success of the Brussels Airport pilot study for its ultra–fast COVID–19 PCR Test. This test is the first of many applications for miDiagnostics’ disruptive technology, licensed from imec (Leuven, Belgium) and developed in close collaboration with Johns Hopkins University. The study confirms that the test can perform rapid and high–quality diagnostics on the spot in a real–life setting, providing travellers with an accurate PCR test result within half an hour.

Brussels Airport Pilot Study Results

The study was conducted in close cooperation with Brussels Airport Company, Ecolog (a leading global provider of COVID–19 screening and diagnostics and related infrastructure), and Eurofins Labo Van Poucke (the clinical diagnostics partner performing the standard PCR test as a benchmark). Starting in October 2021, departing or arriving passengers at Brussels Airport requiring a PCR test were given the option of additionally completing the miDiagnostics rapid test, with results of the two then compared. Close to 600 passengers participated in the study over the course of 2 months. The study supported previous clinical studies demonstrating the accuracy of the miDiagnostics PCR test results.

The aim of the pilot study was also to assess the turnaround time in a real–life setting, and to optimise the workflow for a future rollout. In the laboratory, conventional PCR tests have a turnaround time of anywhere between 3 hours (for the fast procedure) and 12 to 48 hours, whereas the miDiagnostics’ ultra–fast PCR test requires less than 20 minutes for a result. This ultra–fast, nevertheless very accurate result is possible through miniaturization of the RT–qPCR process, with silicon technology at the heart of this innovation. The workflow from passenger registration and sampling (performed by Ecolog) all the way to reporting a test result was streamlined to provide a result within half an hour from passenger registration.

As part of the pilot study, miDiagnostics also obtained promising initial results for its breath analyzer prototype, a technology licensed from imec and currently in development, which would eliminate the need for nasopharyngeal swabs, making the testing process more comfortable and less invasive.

Katleen Verleysen, CEO of miDiagnostics: “We’re pleased that the pilot study yielded such excellent results, demonstrating an extremely rapid turnaround time and high accuracy for our COVID–19 PCR Test in a real–life setting. We’re very grateful to our partners, Brussels Airport Company, Ecolog, and Eurofins, who made this pilot study possible. The next step is now  large–scale rollout of the test, which will be launched at the end of April.”

17 February 2022