Pakistani brain behind 5-minute coronavirus detection test

• A Pakistani origin scientist was the one behind the creation of Abbott's coronavirus detection test, which can deliver a positive result in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.
• The coronavirus detection test will run on the company's ID NOW platform, which is a small, lightweight about 6.6 pounds and portable about the size of a small toaster and works on molecular technology.

As the world’s top minds have now put their focus on finding a cure for the ravaging coronavirus pandemic, it is a matter of pride that the Pakistani scientists too are playing their part in it.

After it was reported, that a Pakistani origin scientist was the one behind the creation of Abbott's coronavirus detection test, which can deliver a positive result in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes.

As per reports, the scientist is Jameel Shaikh a Pakistani hailing from Sindh’s Larkana district. Sheikh graduated from Karachi’s NED Engineering University before moving to the United States.

As per the pharmaceutical and research company, Abbott, the coronavirus detection test will run on the company's ID NOW platform, which is a small, lightweight about 6.6 pounds and portable about the size of a small toaster and works on molecular technology.

The device is designed for providing rapid results in a wide range of healthcare settings such as physicians' offices, urgent care clinics, and hospital emergency departments.

“The COVID-19 pandemic will be fought on multiple fronts, and a portable molecular test that offers results in minutes adds to the broad range of diagnostic solutions needed to combat this virus," said Robert B. Ford, president, and chief operating officer, Abbott. “With rapid testing on ID NOW, healthcare providers can perform molecular point-of-care testing outside the traditional four walls of a hospital in outbreak hotspots."

Abbott will be making ID NOW COVID-19 tests available next week to healthcare providers in urgent care settings in the US, where the majority of ID NOW instruments are in use today.

The company informed they will be able to produce about 50,000 ID NOW tests per day. “With the combination of our ID NOW and m2000 COVID-19 testing capabilities, we will supply about 5 million tests per month."