Local company contributes to cutting-edge COVID-19 testing

Rogue Valley Microdevices' chips are going into a new rapid testing system that is still awaiting approval from the federal government.

Playing technology is playing a big role in the fight against the corona virus.

Some of it is being developed here in the rogue valley.

Jessica gomez from rogue valley microdevices joins us now.

Thanks again for talking with us.

Now.

Last time we spoke, your company was working on a couple of different devices to help in the corona virus fight any big breakthroughs, and where are you guys heading?

Well, let's do working really hard on delivering those devices.

So these companies are rapidly developing their products.

Um, they are, they have to go through the fda approval process, um, which they're working on right now.

And the hope is that, um, they get approved sometime in, you know, the middle to late summer.

Um, so that, those, so that, that technology can get commercialized and out to, um, keep it for you.

So you're working on device that may be part of the testing process.

That's pretty fast.

Can you describe how your.

Device will help in that testing process.

Yeah, so the types of devices that we're working on is utilizing, it's a microfluidics type of device, which uses silicon as its base.

Um, and, uh, specialty material told graphing.

Um, and, uh, basically the chip goes into a cartridge about this size.

Um, and the sample, uh, what, um, political go into that deposited on this little, uh, enclosed chip, um, goes into a box about this size floods in, um, and you get a result in about 60 seconds.

So we hear so much about the testing of antibiotic testing and the.

Virus testing.

What type of testing is that device you're discussing going to look for and how will that help us decide where we are in fighting this virus?

Yeah.

So the, this type of product can be either antibody or, um, testing for actual, um, active virus.

Uh, and it just depends on the type of receptor that is the positive on top of the chip.

So the way the chip works is, um, it has active, uh, receptors that are deposited on the surface that are kind of frozen in this suspended animation that kind of dried on the surface of the chip.

Um, and then what happens is the, uh, the liquid that gets deposited.

One, um, goes and reconstitutes, um, that coding.

And, um, and then when you put the chip into the, uh, device, uh, basically it sends an electrical current through that, and then you will be able to tell you whether or not, um, a binding process is taking place.

So whether or not the receptor has made contact with an active, either protein or a antibody.

You just reminded me of how badly i did in science at school, but thanks very much for the lesson.

Tell me a little bit about when you think these might be.

All of these tests that are being evaluated might actually be available for the public to see and perhaps give us a better indication where we are on the corona virus battle.

Yeah.

You know, we're hoping for as soon as possible.

Um, if these types of products start making it rough the fda and may, it mayppe rld., bioteccompanies that arevt through that process.

Um, we're hoping that, um, the, the chips that we're working on, on behalf of our customers, that, thatchne summer, um, and then heading into the fall.

Hopefully those tests will be available, um, for use out in the field, and they're really meant for.

They're like, uh, we, what we refer to as a point of care type device, meaning that, um, it's quick, it's immediate, and you get a result right away.

So you're not taking, um, sort of a sim sample, like a snow swab or, um, a cheek swab.

And then having to wait, um, in a lab for that to test it.

And sometimes those tests don't come back for, you know, a day, two, three days depending on, you know, what the backlog of that particular lab it.

Jessica gomez, some rogue valley.

Microdevices.

Thanks very much for the information and we'll be checking back with you to see what the progress is on your device and others.

Thank you