“It turns out in 15 minutes” Rapid virus testing equipment Aiming for commercialization next month February 25 19:50

With the challenge of strengthening the testing system for new coronaviruses, the government has been planning to test for suspected infections in the next month, which currently takes 4 to 6 hours to obtain results. He revealed that he is aiming to introduce a device that can understand the result in about 15 minutes.

The government has a system that can handle up to 3,800 people per day for testing for new coronavirus, but according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, it currently takes about 4 to 6 hours for the results to be available.

Under such circumstances, at a subcommittee meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee held on the 25th, a person from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry can newly detect coronavirus by using equipment utilizing technology developed by AIST. I explained that it became.

This device is a small device manufactured by a domestic manufacturer, and there are already dozens of them in major research facilities nationwide, and if new technology is used, the result will be clear in about 15 minutes, so it is put into practical use. If this is the case, it is expected that the inspection time will be shortened.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is responsible for the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, collaborates with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to confirm that it has the same accuracy as the current virus test, and aims for practical application on the site next month .

Canon subsidiary also develops inspection system

Canon Medical Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc., also announced that it has begun developing a genetic test system that can detect new coronaviruses more quickly.

The new test system was developed in cooperation with Nagasaki University, and it is possible that the test results could be determined within 15 minutes.

The company plans to launch clinical evaluations next month, aiming for early commercialization.