ABOVE: A new test from Columbia University analyzes saliva for genetic traces of SARS-CoV-2 using LAMP. Samples that contain viral RNA change color from red to yellow.
COURTESY OF ZEV WILLIAMS/COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Faced with an ongoing lack of protective equipment and testing supplies, medical professionals have been seeking alternatives to accurately diagnose cases of COVID-19, a pandemic that has caused more than 11 million cases and more than 530,000 deaths worldwide. Supplies of nasopharyngeal swabs were some of the first testing materials to run low in mid-March, prompting a pivot to nasal swabs. More recently, saliva-based testing has come forward as an attractive, low-cost alternative.
The first spit tests are already being sold to consumers, with more poised to apply for emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration soon. While saliva can be a crude sample for diagnosing disease using traditional PCR, it pairs well with a ...
