Local Solutions to COVID-19 Testing

KAUST startup and research teams collaborate on the Kingdom’s first domestically produced COVID-19 test

NoorDx, a KAUST startup focused on genomics, was granted approval by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority for a KAUST-developed COVID-19 RT-PCR test, which is set to become the first domestically produced option available in Saudi Arabia. The innovation will make the detection of COVID-19 faster and less expensive, and political leaders and health authorities may no longer need to source imported versions from a competitive global market in order to keep people safe and healthy.

The daily administration of COVID-19 tests in the Kingdom surged during the pandemic, from several thousand a day to around 30,000 tests per day as of November 2021. The authorities have thus far been able to meet demand using imported supplies, but domestic manufacturing capacity is a welcome development. KAUST’s Rapid Research Response team, led by Professor of Bioscience and Interim Dean of the Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Dr. Samir Hamdan, worked to create the test, and NoorDX is now taking steps to scale up production at a commercial scale. The test has initially been made available to the KAUST community, and availability is planned to spread to the Kingdom at a lower cost than imported tests. On campus, the test costs SAR140 for university community members and guests, below the SAR200 charged for the imported version. The cost of urgent tests has fallen from SAR1000 to SAR400, although business travelers receive them free of charge. Individuals receive the results on their mobile phones via a QR code sent within 24 hours, and typically within 12 hours.

The team plans to export the tests, which would boost Saudi Arabia’s global leadership in the health sector and spur the Kingdom’s progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the goal of health and well-being for all. The development of the tests should also help Saudi Arabia meet the goals laid out in Vision 2030, including increasing life expectancy, as well as facilitating the development of a thriving and internationally competitive economy. a full suite of genomic services, with the launch date scheduled for early 2022. Typically, clinical genetic tests in the country must be sent abroad for sequencing and analysis; however, NoorDx is working to develop testing capabilities at home. Seed investment came from KAUST Innovation Ventures, the university’s venture capital fund. NoorDx received support to build its laboratories from KAUST Core Labs and Research Infrastructure, and from the university’s Health, Safety and Environment division.

SAMIR HAMDAN Acting Dean, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering

THIS NEW RT-PCR HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A GAME-CHANGER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 – NOT JUST FOR SAUDI ARABIA, BUT ALSO FOR OTHER COUNTRIES LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE, EASY-TO-ADMINISTER TESTS.

NoorDx

“This is a great moment in time, both for KAUST and the development of RT-PCR tests, and soon, gene sequencing. NoorDx will cater to Saudi communities with a full range of services and downstream applications, from dry to wet lab technologies, to analytics and building the Saudi biobank and national genome.”