The Edmonton International Airport (EIA) is going to host the clinical trial of a new COVID-19 test that can produce near instant results.
According to a press release from the EIA, the Edmonton-based company Graphene Leaders Canada Medical Inc. (GLCM) has partnered with the airport to trial the new test, which uses saliva samples and can determine if a person has the virus or not in less than a minute.
“We all want travel to get back to normal and a rapid COVID-19 test will accelerate this return while enhancing passenger confidence in the safety of our industry,” Tom Ruth, the President and chief executive officer of the EIA, said in a statement Thursday. “While we have seen some growth in recent months, our passenger numbers during COVID-19 continue to remain low and a test like this is crucial to our future.”
The test works by using a graphene surface that is designed to bond to the spike protein in the virus. A medical professional is not required to administer the test, which can be administered by anyone with training.
NEWS: Imagine a COVID-19 test that can produce results in seconds, not days. It will be tested exclusively at EIA this fall in partnership with GLC Medical (GLCM) Inc. an Edmonton company! Read all the details here: https://t.co/0aWh7pglea pic.twitter.com/x6Sk8ZY6wC
— EIA (@FlyEIA) September 24, 2020
“We are very excited to offer the world a graphene-enhanced rapid solution in COVID-19 virus detection,” said Donna Mandau, the president and chief executive officer of Graphene Leaders Canada Inc. and GLCM Inc. “The opportunity to collaborate with EIA, a world-respected airport authority, to enable travel and to bring families back together is very rewarding for us.”
The next step is for the EIA to establish a testing site for the clinical trial, which will last for several weeks this fall, however a specific start date has not been determined yet.
The trial phase will also help GLCM get regulatory approval and certification for its test from Health Canada and other regulatory bodies in the United States and around the world.
The EIA said in a press release that this kind of test will help address the need for the 14-day quarantine period in Canada and potentially other international quarantine restrictions. They added that removing that barrier can help people feel safer in returning to travel.
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