Testing

How do rapid antigen COVID-19 tests work? Why did the US government just pledge to buy 280 million of them? And is that even enough to help curb the spread of the virus?

In people with liver disease or other metabolic disorders, blood ammonia levels can quickly climb to dangerous levels. And unfortunately, checking those levels is not a fast and easy process. A newly developed device, however, could change that.

In the age of a global pandemic, some researchers are suggesting the current vaccine trial process is too slow, and to test potential COVID-19 vaccines we will have to deliberately infect healthy people.

A novel form of cancer immunotherapy has shown exceptional promise in a new clinical trial, with 93 percent responding positively. The treatment involves supercharging a patient’s immune cells to fight cancer then reintroducing them to the body.

The James Webb Space Telescope has crossed another milestone on the path to its long-awaited launch. NASA engineers have now completed a deployment test, unfurling the telescope’s gigantic mirror into the configuration it will take in space.

Although small amounts of fluoride in drinking water may help to strengthen teeth and bones, too much can be dangerous. With that in mind, a simple new test has been designed to determine if fluoride levels are too high.

A team of researchers have revealed an innovative new salvia test that promises to quickly and cheaply screen for the presence of malaria parasites up to a week before any symptoms appear.

To help prepare astronauts for a longer return trip to the Moon, the European Space Agency (ESA) has outlined a new facility that will recreate the lunar surface as accurately as possible.

​The FDA has authorized, for the first time, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic test to report on three genetic variants found on BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genetic variants are known to increase a person’s risk for developing primarily breast cancer, but also also ovarian or prostate cancers.

​The first diagnostic blood test to evaluate the severity of a concussion has been approved for marketing by the FDA. The blood test can accurately identify patients with brain tissue damage, or intracranial lesions, following a head injury without the need for an expensive & time-consuming CT scan.

A DNA test has just been launched allowing parents to screen their newborn babies and children for a variety of childhood-onset diseases. Offered by genomic testing company Sema4, the test involves gathering a DNA sample via a simple cheek swab that is then mailed back to the company for sequencing.

On the road to getting humans to Mars, engineers from NASA and the University of Michigan have successfully tested the X3, a thruster designed to get us to Mars. And it’s broken several records in the process.