Sacramento-based UC Davis Health, alongside Las Vegas startup SpectraPass, is evaluating a new type of rapid COVID-19 test that relies on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
The platform would be scalable and would allow for quick, reliable and efficient on-site testing of hundreds, if not thousands of people, according to a Dec. 17 news release.
The system won't look for a SARS-CoV-2 virus as the PCR test does but instead will identify whether a person's protein profile matches that of a COVID-19 infection. A nasal swab still will be used to collect samples but then will be analyzed in a mass spectrometer. A machine-learning algorithm then determines whether the result from the sample is positive or negative.
The research will involve 2,000 people across Sacramento and Las Vegas and is expected to continue throughout the end of 2021. The results from the study will be used to apply for emergency use authorization from the FDA.