Green light for £140k AI mass screening test
Aberdeen researchers will use artificial intelligence to try to fast-track a test to allow mass screening for Covid-19, after the £140,000 project was green lit by the Scottish Government.
Existing tests can be unreliable and some are not suited to rapid, mass deployment.
The University of Aberdeen team will work with Vertebrate Antibodies Ltd (VAL) and will use VAL’S proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) technology to identify the specific elements of the virus that trigger the body’s defence systems.
It’s hoped this approach could allow the development of a sensitive test that could be used for mass screening of NHS staff and other keyworkers, identification of high-risk patients and carriers, provide data on the prevalence of Covid-19, surveillance and in the future allow targeted vaccination programs.
The project was proposed in response to the Scottish Government’s CSO Rapid Research in Covid-19 programme call which was developed to support leading research at Scotland’s universities which could help the national effort.
In addition to the £101,903 from the Scottish Government, the project is being supported by a £38,000 in kind contribution from VAL – a biotech spinout company from the University of Aberdeen specialising in the design and production of sensitive and selective antibodies against multiple targets.
Dr Tiehui Wang, co-investigator from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Biological Sciences, will also play a key role.