Infection and Immunity Screening

The COVID-19 crisis in Canada has transformed from one of containment to one of mitigation, as the disease has begun to spread through the community, slowed by “social distancing.” An ideal mitigation strategy requires extensive testing to determine (i) who has COVID-19, (ii) who has recovered from it (presumably with immunity), and (iii) who has yet to contract it. The proposed research aims to use mass manufacturing methods to produce a diagnostic test cartridge for COVID-19 that can be produced in large enough numbers and for a low-cost to fill the enormous testing capacity required to stretch far beyond the limits of the current (centralized laboratory-based) system. This proposal forms an important part of a larger project to develop a rapid test for COVID-19 infection and immunity that can be operated in hospitals, doctor’s offices, businesses, airports, schools, homes, and beyond. Sci-Bots will be able to use the manufacturing methods developed as part of this project to mass produce test cartridges for sale to new and existing customer

Faculty Supervisor:

Aaron Wheeler

Student:

Christopher Dixon

Partner:

Sci-Bots

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Toronto