Covid-19: Bosch develops “fastest” PCR test in the world

Bosch says it has developed the “fastest” polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in the world, able to return a reliable Covid-19 result in 39 minutes.

The new rapid test is for Bosch’s Vivalytic analysis device to detect the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. Bosch’s new rapid test is designed for decentralised use in mobile test centres at freeway service stations or in airports and is currently available in Europe.

Bosch says the test has a sensitivity of 98 percent and a specificity of 100 percent. To develop it, the Bosch subsidiary Bosch Healthcare Solutions joined forces with the German biotechnology company R-Biopharm, a provider of manual PCR tests. PCR tests are considered the gold standard of test methods.

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During testing, a sample is taken from the patient’s nose or throat using a swab and placed in the test cartridge. Then the test cartridge, which already contains all the reagents required for the test, is inserted into the Vivalytic device for automated analysis. The company says medical staff requires only brief training on how to operate the Vivalytic analysis device.

“One of the keys to fighting the coronavirus pandemic is to rapidly identify sources of infection. That’s why we focused on following up on our first coronavirus test with an even faster one,” says Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH. “This will now enable us to put people’s minds at ease even more quickly.”

Bosch launched the first rapid test for its Vivalytic analysis device at the end of March, after just six weeks’ development. As a multiplex test, it simultaneously checks samples for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and nine other respiratory diseases in two and a half hours and is available in the Middle East. The new, accelerated test is exclusively for Covid-19.

Bosch has since advanced its Covid-19 testing capabilities – since October, it has become possible to simultaneously evaluate five samples in one test cartridge and at a comparable speed. Bosch is thus increasing available testing capacity, enabling automated processing of more than 160 samples a day using a Vivalytic device. Also, updated software further reduces the time to result of the Covid-19 test on positive samples.