Groundbreaking new thats can detect coronavirus (COVID-19) in just 90 minutes will start to be used in care homes and labs in England from next week.
Currently most results from tests carried out in-person are returned the following day, while home testing kits take even longer, but these two new types of test – LamPORE and DnaNudge – can provide results in less than two hours and do not require trained health staff to operate them.
They can also detect other winter viruses too.
A total of 450,000 LamPORE tests will be made available to care homes and labs in England from next week, with millions more to come later in the year, and a new DNA test will also be rolled out, with 5,000 Nudgebox machines given to hospitals across the UK from September.
The news of the rollout of these two new testing methods comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that he wants 500,000 coronavirus tests to be available every day by October.
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2020 has been a year of intense innovation, and we are delighted to be partnering with teams at the UK's Department of Health and Social Care to roll out LamPORE, a new generation of COVID-19 test. 1/3 Read more here: https://t.co/fjeBDg3rtqpic.twitter.com/cFwYPWInC6
Speaking on the introduction of the new tests, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The fact these tests can detect flu as well as COVID-19 will be hugely beneficial as we head into winter, so patients can follow the right advice to protect themselves and others.”
The LamPORE testing method is described as “a precise, rapid, low-cost and highly scalable assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2” – the virus that causes COVID-19 – and is designed to test saliva and swab RNA samples, whether gathered from people who are showing symptoms of COVID-19, or those who do not have symptoms.
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The machines that process these tests come in desktop and palm versions, and will be used in ‘pop-up labs’, as well as in existing facilities.
The COVID Nudge testing method is said to be a “rapid, accurate, portable, out-of-laboratory, sample-to-answer RT-PCR test that delivers results on the spot, at the point of need and in just over an hour” and also has a chip that includes a control assay for human RNA, which eliminates “false negative” results by testing for inadequate swabbing.
Trials comparing COVID Nudge against several NHS laboratory results indicated 98% sensitivity and 100% specificity.
The Department of Health and Social Care has previously insisted that it is sending thousands of coronavirus (COVID-19) tests to care homes, but did admit that supplier issues have caused delays, which is why health ministers are hoping the fact that no clinical training is needed to operate these new rapid test machines will allow them to be used in a wider range of settings.
For more information ahead of the rollout of both tests next week, you can visit the Oxford Nanopore Technologies website here, and the DnaNudge website here.
For further guidance amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, do refer to official sources via gov.uk/coronavirus.
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Yet another major Deansgate Locks nightlife spot has closed in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Deansgate Locks is set to lose yet another of its nightlife spots, with Ark confirming it will be shutting its doors ‘within weeks’.
The multi-room, multi-storey, multi-genre nightclub has been part of the canalside development for more than a decade, having first opened back in 2014.
At that time, Deansgate Locks was arguably Manchester’s leading nightlife destination, drawing hundreds of students and party-goers to its mix of venues.
The railway arches have been home to iconic clubs and bars including Baa Bar, Lola Lo, Revolution, and Sugar Buddha, as well as The Comedy Store.
But with news that Ark Manchester is closing too, it leaves only Popworld left at what was previously one of the city’s hottest destinations.
In a statement shared with the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for Stonegate said: “The hospitality sector continues to face significant challenges.
Ark Manchester will be closing for goodIt leaves Deansgate Locks with just one venue
“After careful consideration, and despite our best efforts, Ark Manchester is no longer commercially viable and we have taken the difficult decision to close the venue.
“Our priority is to support our hard‑working team during this time, and we would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication. We would also like to thank our guests and the local community for their support over the years.”
It’s believed that Ark Manchester will close on Deansgate Locks in the next few weeks.
Groundbreaking endometriosis tests could help catch diagnosis ‘years earlier’
Danny Jones
In some major public health news, two pioneering and crucially faster tests for endometriosis, which are set to be rolled out across Great Britain soon, could be about to reduce the time taken to diagnose the condition by several years.
That’s according to the National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence (NICE), who have issued an update revealing that the fresh testing technology could significantly speed up the process that can currently take the best part of a decade or even more.
In some cases, it can take upwards of 11 years to fully identify endometriosis, especially within certain ethnically diverse communities, but now the executive non-departmental public body has given the green light for the NHS to introduce the pair of expeditious testing methods here in the UK.
Announced on Tuesday, 7 July, the dual approach – one half of which is already being used domestically as part of a pilot study – won’t serve as a standalone diagnostic system in itself, but should help drastically reduce the time between suspected symptoms, confirmation and treatment.
In the UK, average diagnosis takes over 9 years.
Endosure and Endotest can now be used in the NHS while more evidence is gathered.
Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, said in a public statement: “Availability of these new tests needs to go hand-in-hand with education of GPs and practice nurses to ensure prompt access to those that need them, and an end to pain and symptoms not being recognised.”
The two prongs of this new approach revolve around the already in-trialEndotest®, currently being manufactured by French biotech company Ziwig.
Essentially a straightforward saliva test, it’s been recommended for wider use over some time now.
Meanwhile, the second step is ‘EndoSure’: a non-invasive test that uses “topical electrode pads similar to those used in an electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure the myoelectric activity of the smooth muscle of the GI tract”, with sensors placed on the stomach area.
You can see an instructional video explaining more information about the former down below.
Put in the simplest terms, in tandem, they could save one in 10 women lots of time and pain.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at NICE, went on to add: “A diagnosis of endometriosis can for some women take the best part of a decade […] That delay means living with chronic pelvic pain that affects daily life, relationships and work.
“These technologies have the potential to change that by giving primary care professionals better non-invasive tools to identify endometriosis earlier, allowing earlier and better treatment.
“Our draft guidance reflects our commitment to getting promising innovations to patients quickly, while making sure the evidence to support their wider use is built in a rigorous way.”
While both are still pending full approval and eventual scaling across the country, here’s hoping it can make the difference in the lives of millions of British women and beyond.
The Manc -
3rd August 2020 
