A Faster and Cheaper COVID Test Method Than PCR Is Coming

Results Available On-site in 3 Minutes... Accuracy Comparable to PCR Testing Method

On the last day of the Liberation Day holiday, the 16th, a citizen is being tested at the temporary COVID-19 screening site set up at Anseong Rest Area in the Seoul direction. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] A new COVID-19 testing method that is faster than infectious disease rapid tests and as accurate as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is expected to be introduced as early as three months from now.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK announced on the 17th (local time) in a report published online in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that they have developed a new COVID-19 testing method. It is said to be a test that can provide results on-site in just three minutes.

Currently, several rapid tests are available that can determine COVID-19 infection status within 30 minutes. However, their reliability is low, so they cannot be used for negative certification during overseas travel.

The new test, called ‘RTF-EXPAR,’ which shows high amplification efficiency in a short time, has accuracy comparable to PCR. Moreover, when tested with the same sample, PCR took 42 minutes to detect the virus, whereas the new test took only 8 minutes.

It practically takes a full day to get results from PCR testing because samples must be collected and sent to a laboratory. However, with the new test, samples collected from the throat and nasal cavity are placed into an on-site analyzer, which immediately detects and amplifies the viral genetic material.

The EXPAR test method is ideal for use in places like airports. The research team expects commercialization of the new test to be possible within 3 to 6 months. The exact cost of the test has not been disclosed, but the researchers assured it will be much cheaper than PCR.

Professor Tim Dafforn of the University of Birmingham’s School of Life Sciences predicted, "Since the new test can be used with existing equipment, once commercialized in 3 to 6 months, it can be deployed in places like airports or concert halls."

According to the research team, detection time is 8 minutes and 45 seconds when the virus concentration is low, and only 3 minutes and 8 seconds when it is high. Professor Andrew Biggs of the University of Birmingham’s Cancer Genetics Institute, who participated in the development of the new test, stated, "Analysis shows that the accuracy of the EXPAR test is comparable to that of PCR, with a positive predictive accuracy of 89% and a negative predictive accuracy of 93%."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.