WIT Testing
Waterford scientists awarded funding to speed up COVID-19 testing
Scientists aim to quadruple test speed and increase number of labs able to test without compromising on quality and test accuracy
A team of scientists from Waterford Institute of Technology's (WIT) Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC) and Eco-Innovation Research Centre (EIRC) have teamed up with University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and WIT-spin out company BioEnz Technologies Ltd. to improve the speed of COVID-19 testing.
Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, today announced an investment of €1.4 million in 11 projects under the SFI-coordinated research and innovation response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This investment builds on previous funding and complements the existing research work underway in higher education institutions across the country.
The team will be led by Dr Lee Coffey, a lead scientist in the PMBRC and founder of BioEnz Technologies, a biological solutions company. Funding of €118,000 will be made available for the Expanding lab tests for the COVID-19 virus project through the joint Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and IDA initiative to tackle the scientific challenges posed by COVID-19.
“The most reliable COVID-19 tests use a technique called polymerase chain reaction or PCR,” explained Dr Coffey. “The virus is cracked open and the genetic material or RNA is extracted. This is then copied over and over using PCR until it can be detected. However the PCR step is slow and can take over two hours. We aim to speed this up and bring the time down to under 30 minutes. We also plan to validate the method on a wider range of equipment, thereby increasing the number of labs capable of testing for COVID-19. With the expertise in the team coming together from WIT, UHW and BIOENZ, we can trial thousands of better test options as quickly as possible.”
The WIT and BioEnz Technologies team will work with the Pathology Department of UHW, led by laboratory manager Patrick Mulhare. “The global competition for diagnostic tests and reagents is extremely challenging. Increasing test speed without compromising on quality and test accuracy is of vital importance. Given the potential time delay for a vaccine, there will be an increased and ongoing need for extra testing capacity for some time to come,” he said.
Dr Orla O’ Donovan, Biochemist and head of the Department of Science at WIT, brings her 20 years research experience to this project which is building on the strong ongoing collaborations between WIT and UHW.
For molecular biologists Dr David O’Neill, Dr Denise O’Meara, and Dr Andrew Harrington, the project is an opportunity to apply their expertise to this pressing societal challenge. “We routinely use PCR to address questions relevant to environmental and agricultural research,” said Dr O’Neill. “We are delighted to apply our broad range of molecular expertise and experience to help optimize and improve turn around rates for COVID-19 testing.”
For the award-winning PMBRC, this project is one of a several initiatives taking part within the research centre on COVID-19.
“We have been working on a number of projects with academic and industry partners around the rapid testing for COVID-19 and the formulation of antivirals to treat the disease” said Centre Manager Dr Niall O'Reilly.
“Unfortunately COVID-19 will be with us for some time to come but the project funded here is a great example of a team of scientists coming together to tackle one of the many challenges we face. Hopefully the impact of this and other projects funded under the call will lessen the societal burden of the virus,” he added.
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Editor notes:
About the PMBRC
Celebrating 10 years of operations in 2019, the PMBRC (www.pmbrc.org) has established itself as a leading research centre in the pharmaceutical, chemical and biologicals sciences in Ireland. Situated on the main WIT campus, the centre supports R&D activities within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, while simultaneously cultivating an innovative research programme at WIT. The centre, one of 15 Enterprise Ireland Technology Gateways, consists of an 900m2 state-of-the-art research facility with over 50 staff, postgraduate researchers and academic members. A truly multidisciplinary team, researchers in the PMBRC include chemists, biologists, biomedical scientists, physicists and engineers, and the centre has established links with national and international partners in industry, academia and medical care institutions. The PMBRC won the R&D Achievement Award at the annual Pharma Industry Awards in 2017 and 2019.
About the Eco-Innovation Research Centre
The Eco-Innovation Research Centre is a key WIT research Centre of Excellence (CoE), characterised by international reputation, strong links with industry and the international academic community. Research activities at the Eco-Innovation Research Centre focus on the innovative development of ‘high value-added technologies/products/processes from natural resources’ and ‘low environmental impact processing/growth methods’. Sustainable solutions for the future development of industries such as the marine, agriculture and forestry sectors, and ‘green’ chemistry for pharmaceutical synthesis are supported by the research.
About BioEnz Technologies Ltd.
BioEnz Technologies Ltd was founded in 2019 as a spin-out company from WIT, with a team of biological science and commercial innovation experts. BIOENZ is a biological solutions company based in Waterford City and focusses on providing biotechnology innovation products and technical services to a range of customers in the food and beverage, animal feed, and pharmaceutical industries. The company focus is on delivering innovative cell and enzyme solutions which are clean-label.
About the COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Enterprise Ireland (EI), and IDA Ireland have launched a joint rapid-response call to fund research, development, and innovation (RD&I) activities that will deliver significant and timely impact for Ireland within the context of the current emergency.
