New blood test in Taiwan can detect Zika in 9 mins, and cheap

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-12
By: Sophia Yang,Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A Taiwanese research team has developed a new blood-testing method which can tell whether or not the test receiver has contracted the Zika virus in as fast as 9 minutes and with only a single drop of blood. The finding was recently awarded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with a US$1 million grant, or NT$31.42 million. The team is reportedly applying for approval to market in the EU and Taiwan. Commercial production is slated for 2017.

Given the likelihood of a massive Zika virus outbreak and mounting fears of the virus that can cause birth defects and brain damage, protecting the blood supply has become a priority. At such a challenging and precarious time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently advised that all blood centers to begin screening for Zika. To tap into a surging demand for a simple, quick, and cheap screening solution to save more lives, the Taiwanese team, which has collaborated with Danish scientists for years, leads the way to a screening revolution.

To stop the Zika outbreak, USAID launched a campaign to select nearly two dozen projects among 900 which are believed to be able to rid the world of Zika and other mosquitoes-related diseases. Researchers of the winning projects can receive an USAID grant to pursue new solution to the Zika outbreak.     [FULL  STORY]