Diagnosis of hepatitis C within 15 minutes

According to RCO News Agency, Northwestern University scientists have developed the fastest way to detect hepatitis C virus. The test provides results in just 15 minutes, much faster than currently available rapid options. Researchers say this speed could prevent clinics from leaving without a response and allow treatment to begin immediately.

According to IA, chronic hepatitis C has infected about 50 million people in the world. This disease causes about 242,000 deaths annually, mainly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The infection can be treated with an eight- to 12-week course of medication, but many people never start treatment. Slow, expensive or inaccessible tests remain the main obstacle.

To address this gap, Northwestern engineers and physicians developed an in-situ PCR assay on the DASH platform. Initially, researchers developed DASH to diagnose covid using nasal swabs. They then adapted this system to detect hepatitis C using blood. This change shows how flexible this platform can be against different pathogens.

“We were able to develop a diagnostic test that can be performed at the point of care during a patient’s clinical visit, enabling same-day diagnosis and treatment and supporting hepatitis C elimination efforts,” said Sally McFall, co-director of the Center for Global Health Technology Innovation at Northwestern.

The researchers sent the DASH devices and hepatitis cartridges to Johns Hopkins University for review. Scientists there tested 97 clinical samples. Their analysis confirmed full compatibility with commercial platforms.

“This test could revolutionize hepatitis C care in the United States and around the world, dramatically improving diagnosis, accelerating the initiation of treatment, and allowing more people to be treated faster,” said Claudia Hawkins, co-author of the study and director of Northwestern’s Center for Global and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Faster pathways could prevent millions of deaths from long-term liver damage, he added.

Faster than current tools

Diagnosis of hepatitis C usually requires two steps. Patients first take an antibody test to confirm the exposure. If positive, follow-up PCR testing should be performed to check for active infection. Clinics often send PCR samples to outside laboratories. Results can take days or weeks. Patients then have to return for treatment decisions, which many do not.

There is only one other site test similar to this new test, but that test still takes 40 to 60 minutes. This delay is often longer than a typical clinic visit.

Northwestern’s 15-minute test cuts this time by 75%. This development could change the way hepatitis C is managed in clinics, especially in resource-poor settings where follow-up rates are low.

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