Health Canada has approved a new portable medical device to be used for COVID-19 testing that provides 90-minute turnaround time for test results. The Hyris bCUBE is the name of the device distributed Songbird Life Science Inc., a company based in Guelph, Ontario that does research into pathogens, ventilation, air quality, and industry operations.
The company said the device is especially useful for testing in remote and rural communities.
The BCUBE device was previously approved for testing of surfaces, said a company release Thursday. Now, with Health Canada's approval for human testing, more Canadians and businesses can access testing that is accurate, quicker and less invasive—wherever they are in the country. This is particularly significant for vulnerable or remote communities, businesses or industries, where access to onsite rapid testing is important.
"The bCUBE is a small, portable genomic biotechnology that is ideal for onsite, immediate test results," said Dr. Steven Newmaster, University of Guelph Genomics Professor.
"We have validated the bCUBE after using it for several years in the food and natural products industry to identify pathogens, microbes, animal and botanical species ingredients."
Songbird Life Science is the exclusive Canadian distributor of the Hyris bCUBE, said the release. Hyris is a UK company that produces the bCUBE device in Italy and Germany with the strictest quality and engineering requirements, the company added.
Songbird said it is currently working with different government agencies to assess how the technology might be best deployed to remote communities and other locations where the need for onsite COVID-19 testing with rapid results is especially urgent.
