(ECNS) -- Researchers from the Xiamen University and the University of Hong Kong have jointly developed a quick MERS diagnostic reagent.
The reagent can detect the MERS coronavirus in 15 minutes, with a technician able to complete 3,000 screenings a day amid fears of the virus being spread.
The research team's first version of the reagent can detect the MERS coronavirus in three hours. Results were published in Nature's journal Emerging Microbes & Infections during April this year.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong were responsible for testing effects before returning the results to counterparts at Xiamen University for further improvement.
Chen Yixin, associate professor at the School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, said the updated reagent is a great step forward as it reduces time from three hours to 15 minutes.
Chen, who works at the university's State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, said the reagent is ready for scale production.
