PANPOC is one of the two technologies that PAIR aims to deliver and implement by the end of this five-year project.
This instrument will consist of an integrated heater and optical detection systems. Its pioneering technology builds on a real-time fluorescence-based detection which can be used for both clinical diagnostics (human samples) and veterinary surveillance.
This will allow fast RNA respiratory virus detection providing health and veterinary authorities, clinical end-users, and primary care providers with a highly accurate tool for rapid diagnosis to avoid the spillover of new pandemics.
The prototype was developed by combining the consortium's knowledge of the Loop-mediated isothermal Amplification (LAMP) technology - a powerful technique used for amplifying nucleic acids - with the commercial partners' experience in the production of diagnostic devices in a quality-controlled environment. This technology operates at a constant temperature which makes the process simpler and more cost-effective, especially for field applications.
The PANPOC prototype features a simple design and a touchscreen with no need for specific operator skills or equipment. Once fully developed, this system will allow the simultaneous analysis of 16 different samples for 3-4 different agents (target viruses) and provide a Point-of-Care that will deliver reliable results on-site in less than one hour while eliminating transport time to a central laboratory.
PANPOC allows rapid diagnosis and, together with the PAIR project, they represent the first step toward pandemic prevention.
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