RESEARCH IN BARNSLEY

May 2020

The ‘next stage’ in coronavirus testing was developed by a Barnsley firm in the hope of getting people back to work safely.

Screen4, based in Carlton, has provided drug and alcohol testing to companies around the world for more than a decade, with its main focus pre-employment checks for major airlines.

Shortly after the outbreak of the virus, the company developed and released a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test – a simple ‘yes or no’ test which confirms the presence of the lethal virus, of the type which was rolled out by the government to testing sites across the country.

The firm, in partnership with a laboratory in Germany, developed what is believed to be the first readily-available ‘ELISA’ antibody test.

Rather than a nasal or oral swab, the antibody test checks the blood for signs of immunity – showing whether a person has already had the virus and recovered – and complements PCR testing.

“I’m not aware of anybody else in this country offering the ELISA test,” Andrew told the Chronicle. “The laboratory in Germany is ahead of the curve in what it’s doing. They’ve been testing 400,000 to 500,000 people every day for the last month.

“It’s the next stage, and is the best we can do with proven technology. It’s what is being rolled out across Germany, and it will eventually be rolled out in the UK.”

The government announced plans to introduce antibody testing later in May, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling it a potential ‘game changer’.

However, home testing ‘pin-prick’ kits were found to be too unreliable for widespread use.

Andrew said Screen4’s test must be carried out by a trained phlebotomist, with blood samples sent to a laboratory for testing in a turnaround time of two or three days.

Screen4 is working with a number of businesses looking at their return-to-work strategies, but tests are also available to individuals – such as NHS staff and other essential workers.

Andrew said: “We have a background in occupational health, so we’re well aware of companies’ responsibilities to their staff.

“Employers might have 15 or 20 people who’ve been at home, who don’t know whether they’ve had the virus, have got rid of it, or never had it at all.

“This test can inform them what to do with those different categories of people, and how to protect employees.

“Otherwise what will happen is even if people don’t have the virus, they might suffer with stress as they think they might catch it.

“We’re not just selling a test – we want companies to be aware of the significant risk of people coming back to work too soon without the information to do so.”

The UK’s coronavirus testing has been marred in controversy, with a slow roll-out seeing cheaper, less accurate PCR tests flood the market and kits being privately sold on at high prices.

Earlier that month, testing sites were set up in Barnsley as the government announced plans to deliver 100,000 tests a day nationally – a target which it first failed to meet.