Shining a light on rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 infection: the LAMP test

Professor Patrick Kwan leads a Monash team

using LAMP technology for rapid genetic

testing of COVID-19 virus infections

by Tania Ewing

Despite reports of a new finger-prick blood test being available soon – which tests whether a person has been infected with COVID-19 and therefore may have immunity – the currently available test for the virus, while the patient has active infection with or without symptoms, is expensive and takes up to five days to return a result.

There is an urgent global need for a cheap, fast and accurate diagnostic test that can tell doctors, and the patient, whether they currently have the virus and need to isolate. Such a test, if available, could be used for people returning from overseas, off cruise ships, etc – immediately informing authorities of those who run the risk of taking the infection into the community.

Scientists at Monash University are currently working on adapting a technology developed two decades ago to create an assay that has the potential to produce a result in less than an hour. The test will therefore be able to provide real-time information about the number of active cases to inform important public health decisions.

Photo of the week: Nesbitt group - Haematology Micro-platforms

2020 Nesbitt group. L-R: Ms Nurul (Aisha) Abidin Zainal, Dr Warwick Nesbitt, Dr Crispin Szydzik

The Haematology Micro-Platforms group in the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases is a multidisciplinary group focused on the development of novel lab-on-a-chip, microfluidic, and sensor systems in conjunction with basic research focussed microfluidic platforms.

Key research areas are clinical haematology diagnostics, automated microfluidic drug screening systems, and fundamental research into blood platelet mechanotransduction.

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the research, they collaborate with a number of groups across clinical, biomedical, industrial and engineering disciplines.

Concussion in Australian collision sports 'under-researched'

Ms Georgia Fuller Symons, first author

on the paper, demonstrating the frame

for ocular motor function tests, one of 

the indicators of brain trauma

by Anne Crawford

Concussion sustained during collision sports including AFL and rugby, and its effects on players, is a growing issue in Australia but research into the subject is limited and lacks consensus, a paper by Monash University Department of Neuroscience researchers has found.

First author PhD student Georgia Symons said the review, which appeared recently in the Journal of Neurotrauma, found that most literature on the topic predominantly looked at North American contact sports such as ice hockey and NFL, and also European sport.

17-23 March 2020 Central Clinical School recent publications

Recent publications as notified during the week 17-23 March by PubMed from Central Clinical School affiliated researchers in the following departments. This is not a comprehensive list:

• Australian Centre for Blood Diseases
• Diabetes
• Immunology and Pathology
• Infectious Diseases
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Neuroscience
• Respiratory Medicine
• Surgery

Photo of the week: Kat Holt's Microbial Genomics group

Professor Kathryn (Kat) Holt's group, February 2020. L-R Back row: Mr Hugh Cottingham, Dr Zoe Dyson, Mr Stephen Watts, Mr Ryan Wick Middle row: Dr Kelly Wyres, Prof Kathryn Holt, Dr Louise Judd, Dr Margaret Lam. Front row: Mr David Edwards, Dr Jane Hawkey, Ms Taylor Harshegyi. Absent: Dr Louise Cerdeira, Dr Leonardos Mageiros, Mr Hassan Al-Mana, Ms Fatemah Mubarak

10-16 Mar 2020 Central Clinical School recent publications

Dr Geraldine Ooi is first author
on a paper evaluating variability
of biopsies in NAFLD patients

Recent publications as notified during the week 10-17 Mar 2020 by PubMed from Central Clinical School affiliated researchers in the following disciplines. This is not a comprehensive list:

• Anaesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine
• Blood Diseases
• Diabetes
• Infectious Diseases
• Neuroscience
• Sexual Health
• Surgery

New England Journal of Medicine COVID-19 research updates

A special page has been created at NEJM.org with a collection of articles and other resources on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, including clinical reports, management guidelines, and commentary.

Visit NEJM.org/coronavirus >>