Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Freeze-dried Covid PCR test kits being developed in Singapore



Samples of freeze-dried polymerase chain reaction assays at the BioAcumen Global facility.
PHOTO: Samples of freeze-dried polymerase chain reaction assays at the BioAcumen Global facility.
TNP PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Picture posted by Clara Chong, The News Paper on 18 March 2021 at 06:00 am
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https://www.tnp.sg/sites/default/files/styles/rl780/public/articles/2021/03/18/NP_20210318_CCCOVID18_6406273.jpg?itok=S_MdL5Y0
https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/freeze-dried-covid-pcr-test-kits-being-developed-singapore


SINGAPORE - The technique used to preserve food could prove to be a game changer in Singapore's fight against Covid-19 through the development of freeze-dried Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits, which would simplify storage and transportation requirements.

Local biotech company BioAcumen Global said the key benefit of lyophilisation, as the technique is called, is that it removes the need for refrigeration currently required for Covid-19 PCR test kits.

Freeze-dried kits can be kept at room temperature without any degradation.


Director Jimmy Toh showing a sample of freeze-dried polymerase chain reaction assays at the BioAcumen Global lyophilisation centre on March 16, 2021.
PHOTO: Director Jimmy Toh showing a sample of freeze-dried polymerase chain reaction assays at the BioAcumen Global lyophilisation centre on March 16, 2021.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Picture posted by Clara Chong, The Straits Times on 18 March 2021 at 5:28 pm
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-19-pcr-test-kits-could-soon-be-freeze-dried-locally?utm_medium=referal&utm_source=tnp&utm_campaign=tnplink


BioAcumen Global officially opened its new lyophilisation facility on Tuesday (March 16).

It has the capacity to freeze-dry 2,400 PCR tests a day and hopes to double this capacity soon.

Currently, the lab freeze-dries PCR kits that detect the African swine fever virus.

BioAcumen Global also produces about 20,000 "wet" Covid-19 PCR test kits a day, which had obtained approval from the Health Sciences Authority in September 2020.

It is currently developing its freeze-dried version of Covid-19 PCR kits. They are expected to be ready in around two months' time.

Covid-19 PCR test kits are currently shipped at low temperatures below 0 deg C. However, with a freeze-dried version of the kit, they can be transported and stored at room temperatures for up to six months.

Lyophilised Covid-19 PCR test kits have been developed elsewhere, such as by United States-based company, Biomeme.

Biomeme's freeze-dried kit was granted emergency-use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration last year and has helped to extend shelf life and allow for easier transportation and storage without the need for a cold chain.

The accessibility of such kits has helped many rural communities gain access to Covid-19 PCR testing worldwide. They also facilitate decentralised PCR testing in places such as small clinics, which do not have the infrastructure necessary for conventional PCR tests.

BioAcumen Global on Tuesday also inked a new partnership with biotech company LGC, Biosearch Technologies, which is headquartered in Britain. LGC, Biosearch Technologies manufactures the components in diagnostic kits.

The tie-up will stand to boost the supply chain of lyophilised kits, including those for Covid-19, and accelerate the time they take to reach the market, Mr Jimmy Toh, director of BioAcumen Global said.

LGC, Biosearch Technologies will provide the components for the kits and BioAcumen will assemble before freeze-drying them.

The freeze-dried PCR kit will be slightly more expensive than the wet versions, but it will not be an astronomical figure, Mr Toh added.


Director Jimmy Toh showing a sample of freeze-dried Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays at the new lyophilization facility on March 16, 2021.
PHOTO: Director Jimmy Toh showing a sample of freeze-dried Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays at the new lyophilization facility on March 16, 2021.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Picture posted by Clara Chong, The Straits Times on 18 March 2021 at 5:28 pm
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https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-19-pcr-test-kits-could-soon-be-freeze-dried-locally?utm_medium=referal&utm_source=tnp&utm_campaign=tnplink


BioAcumen Global's first successful freeze-dried PCR kit is being used to detect the African swine fever virus and has been seeing commercial interest from customers around South-east Asia. Almost 200 of these African swine fever virus PCR tests will be shipped to Bangkok next week.

Beyond test kits, freeze-drying could also be used for Covid-19 vaccines.

US-based biotechnology company Arcturus Therapeutics is developing a Covid-19 vaccine with the Duke-NUS Medical School here, and looking at a freeze-dried version of its mRNA vaccine.

The freeze-drying process is done in three parts. In the case of PCR kits, they are first frozen at ultra-low temperatures of below -80 deg C for four hours to ensure that the contents are completely frozen.

The kits then undergo a process known as primary drying to remove the ice crystals under low pressure. Around 90 per cent of the water molecules are removed at this stage, with the process taking around five hours.

The final stage, known as secondary drying, removes any residual moisture in the sample and needs an additional two hours. The end product has around 1 per cent of water content.

Lyophilising PCR kits is a complex process, and an additional suitable sugar molecule has to be added to the "wet" kits in order to provide the matrix necessary to hold the PCR components together after they have been freeze-dried.

Having the freeze-drying facility housed within an ISO 6 certified cleanroom will also allow in-vitro diagnostic grade PCR kits to be manufactured, Mr Toh said.

Cleanrooms are classified from ISO 1 to 9, according to the cleanliness level of the air inside them, based on the quantity and size of the particles in the air.

BioAcumen Global is also looking to provide lyophilisation services to other companies and research labs to apply freeze-drying into areas such as food science and drugs.


PHOTO: COVID-19: Resources for Healthcare Professionals
COVID-19: Updates from Singapore is a webinar series that gathers the world's leading clinicians, scientists, public health officials and policy makers together to present and discuss insights on the latest medical and scientific findings concerning COVID-19. Following a successful first run in 2020, the webinar returns for a second season, with monthly episodes beginning November 2020 till December 2021.
Picture posted by NUHS, National University Health System
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https://www.nuhs.edu.sg/For-Healthcare-Professionals/PublishingImages/Pages/COVID-19/Covid-Factsheet1.jpg
https://www.nuhs.edu.sg/For-Healthcare-Professionals/Pages/COVID-19.aspx


COVID-19: Updates from Singapore
PHOTO: Faces of courage
Senior Staff Nurse (SSN) Avryl Lee is part of a team at the National University Hospital - NUH
 that attends to suspected COVID-19 cases. She works at an Isolation Ward which takes in suspected COVID-19 patients from the Emergency Medicine Department.
“At the Isolation Ward, patients are often worried about whether they have COVID-19 and also about the possible transmission of infections. We need to allay their anxiety and fears by reassuring them through words of encouragement and through our actions, such as dressing in full PPE and practising good hand hygiene. I also assist doctors in collecting samples from patients for COVID-19 testing. We work together very closely and also look out for each other.
We have observed a constant influx of admissions and the tightening of screening and security measures in the hospital. All these naturally evoke some fear. But it is important to fight it with sound actions and protocols, all of which are very familiar to those of us who are trained to deal with an outbreak. COVID-19 has been a real wake-up call, and this will be one of my most cherished experiences – slogging each day with my team to battle this virus. As we do our part in healthcare to treat the sick, everyone else should also do theirs by staying well and practising social responsibility.”

May God Bless You and everyone caring for (suspected) Covid 19. Our salute to all our nurses and the healthcare team. Very proud of you who are truly caring and professional. You have shown many the value of being a nurse. God bless you all n protect all of you always while you go about caring for the patients. Take good care and hope you and team have enough rest too. May God continue to strengthen you with his divine protection and quiet confidence.

The everyday act of caring for the suffering allows nurses to live out their faith. ... Nursing truly is serving Christ, as He commands us to care for one another. In particular, the healthy are called upon to look after the weak in their time of need. - from Google, is nursing a calling from God?
Picture posted by National University Hospital - NUH on 30 March 2020
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https://www.facebook.com/NationalUniversityHospital/posts/10156785607127441

By Clara Chong, The Straits Times, 18 March 2021 at 5:28 pm
Reference
[1] Clara Chong, The Straits Times, Singapore could soon make freeze-dried Covid-19 PCR test kit, posted on 18 March 2021 at 5:28 pm, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/covid-19-pcr-test-kits-could-soon-be-freeze-dried-locally?utm_medium=referal&utm_source=tnp&utm_campaign=tnplink


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