MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Eluceda Diagnostics

One-line solution summary:

A simple to use, rapid PCR-Free digital test for detecting pathogen RNA at the point of care.

Pitch your solution.

Our technology provides quicker, lower cost and more accurate testing than existing "field-testing" options, with the added benefit of reporting being digitised to enable community monitoring and direct interventions remotely.

Rapid testing, followed by robust tracking & tracing was key to turning the tide in the current pandemic (before vaccinations helped the richer countries) - jurisdictions that did this well saw lower loss of life.

Our technology has the benefits of being nucleic acid based, so less susceptible to viral mutation and adaptable to detect other pathogens and hardware remains the same, only the consumables change are infection dependant.

This is a global issue, but is not limited to the “next” pandemic - as it possible to adapt our technology to detect existing pathogens (ranging from Ebola to Yellow Fever), making it even more valuable for developing countries.

This could massively reduce transmission of disease and saves lives.

What specific problem are you solving?

The E-Sens technology enables authorities to identify preventive interventions. Not only does it enable faster, more accurate testing in the community as described elsewhere in this submission, it also provides real-time reporting of testing allowing authorities to intervene more effectively and control outbreaks.

In addition to this, as the hardware and software required to drive the testing does not determine the pathogen being looked for (the consumables do), a test for a new pathogen could be developed in weeks and deployed to the same health infrastructure extremely quickly. Finally, as the detection technology is capable of authenticating mRNA vaccines like those currently being rolled out around the world by Pfizer, Moderna, etc, the E-Sens readers could also be used to check the provenance and authenticity of vaccines to make sure their effectiveness isn’t affected by counterfeits entering supply chains, which is an issue where health supply chains aren’t well controlled.

The recent pandemic has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and cost Trillions of dollars, hospital acquired infections also do the same and counterfeiting is multi-billion dollar "industry". These could all be reduced with better testing and targeted action - the ESens offers this.

What is your solution?

The E-Sens technology from Eluceda is designed as a low cost, simple to use test that provides lab-level accuracy at the point of care – anywhere in the world. The solution itself consists of a small electronic device, software to drive the process and a small electrode (that is the core of the test and technology) that can be produced on industrial scale easily.

In simple terms, a nucleic acid of interest is placed on the electrode and, via linkage with an enzyme, it is possible to detect this binding event. This whole process takes a few seconds and is similar in practice to a blood-glucose test.

As these electrodes have the ability to be treated with any nucleic acid, the test can be modified easily and quickly for any RNA/DNA sequence by simply exchanging the primers in the test kit. Therefore, in only a matter of weeks, a test for a new pathogen can be created and distributed, giving a faster reaction to testing for new potential pandemics and epidemics - this approach is also less prone to issues relating to viral mutations leading to variants.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution serves humanity as it could massively reduce death and misery, but the target audience is National Health Authorities, Governments and key NGO’s, as this solution should allow them to act more quickly and effectively, greatly reducing harm locally, regionally and internationally. In all likelihood, Health Authorities and by extension Governments will be responsible for procuring such solutions, but it is also important to let not-for-profit NGO’s know what is technically possible and how the digitisation and sharing of data can support greater testing and inspection efforts.

During 2020/21, we engaged with National Health Authorities and government bodies across Europe, plus NGO’s with more global interests to produce a Proof of Concept on our technology which we completed.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Equip last-mile primary healthcare providers with the necessary tools and knowledge to detect disease outbreaks quickly and respond to them effectively.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

The solution provides a fast, more accurate detection platform for multiple pathogens that can be changed in a matter of weeks in response to new threats. The information can be shared instantly, globally. In addition to this, the consumables required are inexpensive and used in tiny quantities (the reagents used in a single rtPCR would enable us to do ca 100,000 field tests).

This would provide access to lab quality field testing to developing countries for the first time and allow developed countries with more robust health infrastructure to manage large scale health outbreaks.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Burnley, UK

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

We have completed a lab Proof of Concept to establish if it was possible to detect the SARS-CoV-2 (SCV2) virus using with the Eluceda E-Sens™ biosensor technology using a panel supplied by Qnostics (Ref: SCV2AQP01-A). These panels are recommended for establishing the limits of detection on molecular diagnostics assays and manufactured to ISO standard 12485:2016 produced by diluting inactivated virus into transport medium containing human cells. Using these samples we were able to detect as few as 50 virus particles consistently and published a paper.

Having completed this stage successfully, we then carried out a further PoC in a “live” environment, the UK Government’s “Lighthouse Lab” situated in the University of Glasgow’s Clinical Innovation Zone. Again, this provided us with successful results and enabled us to consider this phase complete.

We are in a position to carry out a pilot, but we need two additional workstreams completing, automation and certification.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Dr Ian Eastwood, CTO and Founder