From October 2021, passengers departing from or arriving at Brussels Airport requiring a PCR had the possibility of carrying out the miDiagnostics rapid test in addition. The results of the two screenings were then compared. Nearly 600 passengers participated in the study over a two-month period.
The pilot study has confirmed the accuracy of the results of these new tests, already demonstrated in previous clinical trials. These new screenings also allow for a shorter processing time. In the laboratory, conventional PCR tests have a processing time of between three hours (with a rapid procedure) and 12 to 48 hours. The test developed by the Belgian designer requires less than 20 minutes to obtain a result.
“The next step will be the large-scale deployment, which we will launch at the end of April,” said miDiagnostics CEO Katleen Verleysen.
MiDiagnostics is the result of Imec, an R&D and innovation center in nanoelectronics and digital technologies located in Louvain, and a research collaboration with the American Johns Hopkins University. The study was carried out in close collaboration with Brussels Airport Company, Ecolog and Eurofins Labo Van Poucke.