SureScreen gives an insight into future of lateral flow tests

A “culture change” prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic is helping to pave the way for pioneering lateral flow tests designed to check for flu and diabetes, according to SureScreen Diagnostics.

Derby-based SureScreen opened a new facility last year in order to meet the UK and global demand for Covid-19 lateral flow tests, which are currently being supplied to the NHS and more than 60 countries worldwide.

SureScreen is already exploring new opportunities for the post-Covid world, including kits which will enable people to test for flu, diabetes and other infectious diseases and viruses, giving them a near-instant diagnosis taking pressure off doctors and waiting times for laboratory results.

SureScreen’s tests were the first European tests to pass the validation process in the laboratory by Public Health England and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, visited the site last year after the Government ordered 20 million tests for its national rapid testing programme.

A recent visit that included Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North, saw SureScreen’s newest production lines, which uses “spider” pick and place robots to speed up assembly of the kits.

SureScreen develops and manufactures a range of diagnostic tests for the health service and other industries, including drugs tests, a unique alcohol testing device for ambulances and supplies of urine diagnostic tests to over half of the GPs surgeries in the country.

David Campbell, a director at SureScreen, said: “Lateral flow tests have been used for many years, but such was their importance during the Covid pandemic that the spotlight has really been shone on their many applications.

“Their high-performance levels and the fact that people have become so used to using them offers us an opportunity to deploy lateral flow tests in places that haven’t been possible in the past and offer convenient ways to diagnose issues much earlier.

“Although we have been focused on Covid-19 in recent months, we already have a wide array of other tests ready to go and have built a platform for manufacture of all kinds of different tests, which will help people to take control of their health and could save healthcare millions of pounds.”