Coronavirus tests performed in labs are the gold standard for accuracy, and antigen tests are a fast and inexpensive alternative.
But backers of a third type of test, developed by a Nobel Prize winner using cutting-edge CRISPR technology, say it has the potential to be all three: rapid, accurate and inexpensive.
Although these gene-editing technology tests are still being developed and won’t be ready in the United States this year as the weather cools and demand surges, research groups recently published papers describing them as an appealing alternative as testing shortages persist amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Jennifer Doudna, a