The most rapid COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) amplification and detection equipment can deliver results in five minutes. Such technology was showcased at the Innovative Technology Pavilion of the 22nd China International Industry Fair (CIIF), which was held in Shanghai from Sept 15 to 19.

Prior to this, the PCR test, the most time-consuming part of nucleic acid testing, took about 60 minutes.

High-tech support for epidemic prevention and control

Innovative technologies developed by enterprises in Shanghai have made COVID-19 nucleic acid testing faster and simpler. The number of required samples and links has been reduced, while detection methods are continuously improving.

At this year’s CIIF, a number of Pudong-based enterprises dedicated to laboratory construction displayed some advantaged technology for epidemic prevention and control.

The Shanghai mobile fangcang shelter laboratory for nucleic acid testing at the Pudong International Airport began operating last month. It saves two hours in delivery time, as samples don’t need to be sent to laboratories in downtown Shanghai. It is the first p2+ mobile nucleic acid testing laboratory in China to adopt a standard container size.

As of Aug 27, the laboratory had tested 6,575 samples, and research and development of an improved version of the library has already started.

In the future, the product will be promoted at hospitals, in communities, and even abroad to help in the global fight against the epidemic.

Automation solutions and services for nucleic acid tests

A fully automated COVID-19 nucleic acid testing device developed by Shanghai Rendu Biotechnology Co was also on display at the fair. It is the first of its kind in China.

The platform can carry out extraction, amplification, detection, and analysis. After a sample is inputted, the device starts operating and reveals the result within 90 minutes.

The product can carry out 200 sample tests in eight hours. It has been used in more than 120 testing institutions, including medical institutions, customs, and centers for disease control and prevention.

Shanghai Outdo Biotech Co brought its antibody detection kits at this year’s CIIF. The kit uses a colloidal gold method and does not require any equipment. It can perform in vitro qualitative testing and produce results within 15 minutes after the sample is received. The test kits have been sold worldwide.

Shanghai BioGerm Medical Biotechnology Co also displayed its latest equipment. Its fully automated nucleic acid extraction workstation is expected to be launched on the market before the end of this year.

It takes about two hours for people to extract samples, but the machine can do it in just one hour.

Joint efforts in research and development

When the COVID-19 outbreak first began, Shanghai carried out emergency scientific and technological research on clinical diagnosis and treatment, drugs and vaccines, etiology and epidemiology, medical devices, and diagnostic testing reagents, making a number of important breakthroughs.

These breakthroughs were showcased in the "Technology Empowers Epidemic Prevention and Control" section of this year’s CIIF.

In addition, Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co screened monoclonal neutralizing antibodies for the first time.

The JS016 (recombinant fully human anti-coronavirus monoclonal neutralizing antibody injection) developed by the company is the first anti-coronavirus neutralizing antibody to enter the clinical stage in China, and is the first of its kind in the world to be tested on healthy volunteers.

In the exhibition area, the micro-nano chip variable temperature nucleic acid amplification analyzer developed by Shanghai Sige Biological Co proved to be the fastest piece of equipment.

Chen Chang, the operator of the booth, said that as an emergency research project, it took only five hours after being approved to apply to the National Medical Products Administration. "Currently, our output is around 100,000, and we expect to be approved before the end of the year," Chen added.

Shanghai ZJ Bio-Tech Co, a partner of Shanghai Sige Biological Co, has developed a special kit that requires only 3μL(microliters) of sample to achieve a minimum detection limit of 500 copies per milliliter. It can complete nucleic acid detection for both COVID-19 and the influenza virus within 30 minutes.

The product has already started the medical device registration process in China and is expected to become one of the world's leading medical-grade rapid nucleic acid detection technologies.