SalivaDirect, a COVID-testing initiative created by the Yale School of Public Health, is slated to host a conference in Chicago at the end of the month on its testing technology and its potential role in future pandemics.
SalivaDirect, which has a test site currently operating on the New Haven Green, has invited laboratory and industry professionals, researchers and public health leaders to the meeting to explore the role of saliva-based testing.
Anne Wyllie, principal Investigator at the SalivaDirect Initiative, developed a saliva-based test early in the pandemic in response to supply chain issues. She drew on her research on saliva tests for the detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a class of bacteria that can cause ear infections, sepsis and pneumonia.
“Research from us and others shows that saliva-based PCR tests can accurately detect SARS-CoV-2 — as soon as three days earlier during infection as compared to nasal swabs,” Wyllie said in a statement.
The FDA granted SalivaDirect an Emergency Use Authorization in August 2020 and allowed it to bypass some regulations to expand its testing to additional labs. The SalivaDirect test was rolled out nationally in November 2020, with the goal of keeping test fees $25 or less.
At present, 180 labs work with SalivaDirect, with more than 6.3 million tests performed to date.
SalivaDirect’s test was named a 2022 finalist in the Fast Company World-Changing Ideas Awards in the pandemic response category.
Wyllie said she hopes the relative lull in COVID-19 testing demand will allow health professionals to gather and plan for future surges and variants. At the two-day Chicago event, speakers are scheduled to report on research and industry experience during the pandemic.
“I’m confident we will learn how best to continue supporting our SalivaDirect laboratory partners as public health champions both in their contributions to research and to healthcare in their communities,” Wyllie said.
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
