The concept of a SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 rapid test
Diagnostic and screening tests that combine simplicity, speed, and reliable, clear readouts are essential tools in clinical settings. Specific analytes in a sample, such as pathogens or biomarkers, can be detected by lateral flow assay. Lateral flow assays are generally very easy to use and provide rapid information as to the presence or absence of a given analyte in a biological sample.
Most of COVID-19 rapid tests utilize sandwich immunoassay technology, which detects SARS-CoV-2 particles in samples by capturing viral antigen between a free labeled antibody and a fixed second antibody that each recognize different regions of the antigen. On the other hand, a rapid anti-virus IgM/IgG test uses a similar approach to detect human IgM and IgG antibodies that are reactive to SARS-CoV-2. This provides crucial information related to whether a patient has been exposed to the virus and where they are temporally in the clinical course of the disease. Please see Table 1 and Figure 1 for specific details.
Table 1. COVID-19 Rapid Tests |
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How do COVID-19 Rapid Tests Work? |
COVID-19 rapid test strips contain a control line to confirm the test is working properly along with one or two test lines. Analyte detection is qualitative and read visually. Below are links to two animated videos detailing the components inside the rapid test devices and how they interact with one another to produce the colored results.
- SARS-CoV-2 rapid virus antigen test: Please click on link (https://youtu.be/PkczTPfIE20). Possible result readouts are shown in Figure 2 below.
![]() Figure 2: Possible result readouts of a SARS-CoV-2 rapid virus antigen test. |
2. SARS-CoV-2 rapid anti-virus IgM/IgG test: Please click on link (https://youtu.be/bAHFylmV5D8). Possible result readouts are shown in Figure 3.
![]() Figure 3: Possible result readouts of a SARS-CoV-2 rapid anti-virus IgM/IgG test. |
GeneTex is proud to offer an extensive line of reagents to support the study of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. Please see Table 2, Table 3, and Table 4 below to view listings of GeneTex's antibodies, recombinant proteins, and cell pellet blocks available now to accelerate your SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 research.
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Table 3. Recombinant Proteins for SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 Research |
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Table 4. Cell Pellet Blocks for SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 Research |
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