Sigma Lab: Sets of reagents for rapid tests for COVID-19

2020: The beginning of release of sets of reagents for rapid tests for COVID-19

On April 1, 2020 the Skolkovo Foundation announced the beginning of release of sets of reagents for rapid tests for COVID-19.

Sets are made in laboratory of Sigma Lab company which is the Center of collective use of Technopark Skolkovo. The Russian technology is patented by Evotek-Miray Genomiks company.

The rapid test allows, using normal equipment, with a high accuracy (more than 99%) to reveal presence of a virus within half an hour. Roszdravnadzor issued to the diagnostic system developed on this technology, all necessary permissions for application in the territory of the Russian Federation. This method of detection of a virus developed by professor of the Japanese institute Riken Yoshikhide Hayashizaki together with the Russian specialists for the first time showed the efficiency on February 23, 2020 when testing passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise liner which was on a quarantine in Yokohama (Japan).

More than 50 thousands first sets of the reagents produced in Technopark Skolkovo will redeem structures of Renova Group for voluntary conveyance in hospitals of regions of the presence.

In a situation when the pandemic of a coronavirus was the most serious call which the mankind in the 21st century faced, all - the governments, business, public institutes - should combine efforts for rescue of lives of people, told Victor Vekselberg, the Chairman of the board of directors of Skolkovo Foundation

The first batch of sets is already delivered to the Saratov region where testing will be quickly unrolled. The following batches will go to the Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Chelyabinsk, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod regions, to Perm Krai and the Komi Republic in the nearest future. This measure will support regional health care systems, will facilitate work of doctors on whom the main loading on rescue of lives of people lays down.

Considering a situation with spread of a coronavirus in the world, we understood all responsibility conferred on us. The Sigma Lab company managed to develop in short terms production of diagnostic tests in Skolkovo, with observance of all difficult production requirements. We sincerely believe that our command will enter the deposit to a victory over a pandemic. In this hard time we need to be uniform in the aspiration to secure itself, the close people and the country, noted the Almaz Bekbayev, the CEO of Sigma Lab company

Timely diagnostics and mass testing as practice of Singapore and South Korea shows, is an efficient method not to allow development of epidemic in the Italian or Spanish scenarios. Death rate in the countries where mass testing for COVID-19 virus regardless of existence of symptoms is held below, than in the countries where such testing was not held.