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Eurekan Biotech, ACEGID pioneer the use of low-cost rapid NAAT kits to detect COVID-19 variants in Nigeria

BY OLUMIDE ADENMOSUN

Following their development and validation of a colorimetric and fluorescent based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT) – one of which had received a CE-marking approval for use as a clinical in vitro diagnostic kit, Eurekan Biotech is also pioneering the deployment of a non-sequence based NAAT kit for rapid detection of COVID-19 variants in Nigeria and the entire African continent at large.

The variant kits were recently assessed and tested on live COVID-19 variants which had already been sequenced and analyzed with the high-end Illumina MiSeq and HiSeq genetic sequencing equipment at the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) domiciled at Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria – under the leadership of Prof. Christian Happi.

Nigeria has also seen an influx of a few COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) among which were the popular B.1.1.7 (UK) variant which has a significant mutation (N501Y) in its spike protein. An emerging variant under investigation (VUI) which has been attributed to have emanated from Nigeria and partly UK – is the B.1.525 variant which notably has an E484K mutation – also conferring significant changes in the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2. Some of these strains have been associated with efficient transmissibility of the virus because of their stickiness factor and ability to bind tightly with ACE-2 receptors on host cells with a slight possibility of being able to evade neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated and naturally immunized individuals.

While there is a need to keep up with testing and upholding other preventative measures – including vaccinations, there may be a need to keep up with public health surveillance and control of other COVID-19 variants of “serious” concern – such as the B.1.351 (South African) and B.1.617 (Indian) strains from seeping through Nigerian borders and ports of entry – due to international travel.

An adequate genetic sequencing of a single case sample may gulp up to $1000 (one thousand US Dollars) in analyses fees for equipment use and consumables. But Eurekan Biotech’s COVID-19 variant kit (CoVAMPTM Var) leverages on existing technology for Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests for a low-cost assessment and detection of COVID-19 variants at about $50 (fifty US Dollars) per test. Using the melt curve analytics of existing qPCR equipment which are accessible at most NCDC collaborating molecular labs for COVID-19 testing in Nigeria, an assessment of a few target polymorphisms or notable mutations of interest can be used to characterize COVID-19 variants with qPCR instruments currently utilized for SARS-COV-2 diagnostics.

Eurekan Biotech’s low cost rapid colorimetric COVID-19 NAAT kit (CoVAMPTM Colo) which was also recently validated at ACEGID and NCDC’s National Reference Laboratory (NRL) is being proposed for routine testing and confirmation of RDT-assessed wild-type SARS-COV-2 at resource limited non-PCR labs in Nigeria (mostly General Hospitals and other Secondary Healthcare Institutions). The biotech startup’s President and lead Bioengineer – Olumide Adenmosun says their company is able to deploy kits for up to 100,000 (one hundred thousand) tests in as little as 2weeks to help surveil both wild-type and COVID-19 variants in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.

Adenmosun is a pioneering alumnus of Bowen University, Nigeria, a Bioengineer and currently a Microbiology instructor and doctoral candidate at Florida Atlantic University, USA. He is also the Founder/CEO of Eurekan Biotechnologies and DNAEnsemble. He can be reached at [email protected]

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