Re: test kits from the Feb 13 CC: Emily Lee: Is
Post# of 36536
Emily Lee: Is there a timeframe where this can be developed for the test tubes?
Dr. Hal Hanes: Yeah. I can give you an estimate. I certainly do not know. It would require us
taking the peptides that Eric produces and analyze this to make sure they are
proper ones. It is raising antibodies to them in animals. This can be done
relatively quickly. There are lots of animals where it can be done that way. Use
those antibodies as the analytical reagent. In other words, we put them on a
strip. It is like a diabetes strip, except for infectious diseases. We have a lot of
expertise in this. We put them on a strip. We have a control line. We put the
oral fluid after it has been diluted. Let it run up on the strip. The line with the
antibodies to the coronavirus, if there is a coronavirus in that sample, will light
up. The control line will light up. We will be able to say that person does not or
does have coronavirus. I would say probably once the peptides are fully
developed and we can immunize animals with them, there are many companies
that can do this rapidly. We should probably have an assay in three to four
months after those events occur.