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To Control the Pandemic Hokkaido University was one of the first to engage in advanced COVID-19 research in fields such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering, and chemistry, and the results have greatly contributed to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world.
Development of a PCR test using saliva and spread of a new safe and simple COVID-19 testing method Establishment of safe and simple PCR testing Takanori TESHIMA
The group of Professor Takanori Teshima of the Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, and other research-
Professor, Faculty of Medicine
ers started research on saliva-based PCR testing in April 2020, ahead of other researchers in Japan, and showed that saliva samples may provide comparable test accuracy as swabs. As a result, the Ministry of
Attempts to speed up the saliva test
Health, Labour and Welfare approved PCR testing
The next challenge was to reduce the test time. The
using saliva.
research group of Professor Teshima examined the accuracy of saliva testing by various testing methods
Demonstration of the possibility to detect infected people from asymptomatic individuals by saliva PCR testing
that can provide results in a short time through indus-
The accuracy of saliva PCR testing on asymptomatic
Hokkaido University Hospital was the first in Japan
individuals was not clear. The research group of Profes-
to start a pre-hospital saliva PCR test. Since safe and
sor Teshima and his group compared the diagnostic
simple saliva collection can be recommended as a
accuracy between saliva and swabs of asymptomatic
standard method for screening tests for asymptomatic
individuals by conducting the world’s largest study of
individuals, it has been adopted for airport quarantine
approximately 2,000 cases. As a result, saliva showed
and pre-boarding tests. This is a great social contribu-
almost the same accuracy as swabs, which clarified the
tion that brought about a social change allowing the
reliability of saliva PRC tests.
general public to easily undergo tests.
try-academia joint research, and made it possible to select various testing methods depending on various aspects.
● Airport quarantine cohort ● Close contact cohort Saliva collection cup Photo courtesy: Professor Teshima, Hokkaido University
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HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY FINANCIAL REPORT 2021
Sensitivity
Asymptomatic individuals
Swab
Specificity
The accuracy of saliva is almost the same as that of swabs
Saliva
10
10
8
8
6
6
4
4
2 0
2 ％ 100
0
1800
1800
1200
1200
600 0
％ 100
600
％ 100.0
0
％ 100.0
