3M (NYSE:MMM) announced today that it is working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers to develop a paper-based, rapid test to detect the virus that causes COVID-19, with the potential to manufacture millions of tests per day.
The test would detect viral antigens and deliver “highly accurate results within minutes” via a paper-based device, according to the Maplewood, Minn.-based company. It could be administered at the point-of-care and would not need to be sent to labs for testing.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) selected the rapid COVID-19 test for accelerated development and commercialization support, after review by an expert panel, 3M added. Researchers received $500,000 in validation funding from the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Tech (RADx Tech) program, an aggressively-paced COVID-19 diagnostics initiative from the NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.