Partnership will see 90-minute PCR test deployed across over 100 clinics

Consumer genetic testing firm DnaNudge has announced a partnership with DAM Health that will see DnaNudge’s 90-minute PCR COVID-19 test deployed across more than 100 clinics in the UK and internationally in the New Year.

CovidNudge is an RT-PCR point-of-care testing platform that delivers results in under 90 minutes without the need for a lab or any manual sample pre-processing. The test will initially be available in Liverpool, Manchester and Wirral clinics then throughout the DAM Health estate in early 2022, providing testing for all retail and corporate customers, where reliable, cost-efficient and accessible service is critical with DAM Health’s trained medical professionals.

DnaNudge, a British company from Imperial College with headquarters in London, has recently obtained CE-IVD for its multiplex respiratory panel for the detection of flu A, flu B, and RSV, as well as COVID-19.

The platform technology consists of the DnaCartridge and the NudgeBox. The DnaCartridge is a disposable and sealed lab-on-chip device that enables sample-to-result PCR without the need for any transport medium or pipetting. It can multiplex up to 72 assays and detect every published COVID-19 gene and all known variants including Omicron. The NudgeBox is a standalone instrument that provides the mechanics to drive the DnaCartridge and run RT-PCR tests. It is connected to the DnaNudge Cloud for processing the test results that can be made available simultaneously to a Laboratory Information Management System of hospitals, clinics, or the health authorities. DnaNudge was recently named the winner of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s MacRobert Award, the UK's longest running and most prestigious national prize for engineering innovation, in recognition of DnaNudge’s testing platform.

CEO and co-founder of DnaNudge, Professor Chris Toumazou FRS, FREng, FMedSci, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with DAM Health, deploying our unique technology that truly democratises PCR testing into their clinics. The DnaNudge gold-standard PCR technology is simple to use and does not require a lab or lab expertise. Customers increasingly demand decentralised preventative and personalised care, with the pandemic experience having highlighted that infectious disease is a consumer world problem. There is a great synergy between the two companies with this respect. With the on-going battle against the coronavirus spread, time and ease of access are critical, and we look forward to working together to enable this in the UK and worldwide.”

Professor Frank Joseph, DAM Health’s medical director, said: “We are all thrilled to partner with DnaNudge and in making their 90-minute PCR COVID-19 CovidNudge test available across our clinics in the UK into 2022. As the pandemic continues to evolve – we are seeing now its effects continue both across our nation and globally – innovators like DnaNudge align with our own continued ambition and determination to lead the way in the fight against COVID-19 in the months ahead.”

DAM Health is a government-approved provider of in-clinic COVID-19 tests in the UK, employing over 1,000 employees across over 100 clinics in the UK and internationally. The medical diagnostics company is the only COVID-19 test provider in the UK to partner with Health Passport Worldwide and it has growing operations in Mexico and Spain with more global expansion planned in 2022. They are working with the Pandemic Institute in Liverpool and Credersi who have created the world’s first virtual reality COVID-19 lab training syllabus.