Calgary Herald: Suncor research being used to develop COVID-19 antibody test

April 28, 2020
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Energy giant Suncor is joining the fight against COVID-19 by putting technology currently employed in its wastewater treatment processes to use with the aim of developing an at-home antibody test kit.

The project — a partnership between the Calgary-based energy company and scientists at the University of Western Ontario — aims to use equipment and expertise already being used to sequence the DNA of bacteria found in Suncor’s process water.

Martin Flatley — a biochemical engineer based at the company’s Sarnia, Ont., refinery — said it’s not a huge leap to go from a wastewater treatment application to COVID-19 antibody testing, as the DNA sequencing technology is the same. The research team is using a type of algae that shows a lot of promise for not only producing the protein needed for antibody testing, but producing it with the correct modifications to mimic how it’s made in humans.

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