Bosch Creates COVID-19 Test in Six Weeks

Although Bosch is widely known as one of the leading automotive technology suppliers, it also has other products in its portfolio, such as home appliances and. . .units from its Bosch Healthcare Solutions business.

Bosch Vivalytic analyzer can provide COVID-19 test results in less than 2.5 hours. (Images: Bosch)

And to that end, the company—in just six weeks—developed a rapid molecular diagnostic test that runs on its Vivalytic analysis device that can diagnose COVID-19 in patients—from the time the sample is taken to the time the results are delivered—in under 2.5 hours.

Unfortunately, as of today, test results in the U.S. are taking days.

According to Bosch the testing accuracy is greater than 95% and it meets the standards of the World Health Organization.

Bosch Healthcare Solutions worked with Randox Laboratories Ltd. of Northern Ireland.

Easy to Do

The tests involved taking a swabbed sample from the patient, which is put in a cartridge that contains the necessary reagents. That is inserted into the Vivalytic device and the processing is done automatically. Bosch says that the procedure is so easy “that even medical personnel who have not been specifically trained on it can reliability perform the test.”

The test is easy to perform. The analysis is automated so the healthcare worker can perform other tasks while it runs.

One analyzer can perform 10 tests in 24 hours.

As Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, puts it, “Time is of the essence in the fight against coronavirus. Reliable, rapid diagnosis directly on-site with no back and forth – that is the great advantage of our solution, which we see as another example of technology that is ‘Invented for life.”

Indeed.

By the way. . .

If your company has an interesting story that has been driven by a response to COVID-19, please let us know here and perhaps we’ll feature it, as well.