20 Feb 2021

Cather Simpson: quantitative immunity testing

From Saturday Morning, 9:35 am on 20 February 2021
Prof Cather Simpson

Prof Cather Simpson Photo: supplied

Scientist and entrepreneur Professor Cather Simpson founded the University of Auckland's Photon Factory laser lab, and is part of spin-off business Orbis Diagnostics which has developed a "lab on a disc" which enables on-farm testing for bovine fertility

Professor Simpson and her team are now trying to harness similar technology in the fight against Covid-19 by developing Quantitative Immunity Testing to quickly detect someone's Covid-19 immunity status, and whether they can transmit the virus to others.

With results available in around 15 minutes, the hope is that the system could be used at airports to test air passengers before they board a flight.

What the Orbis Machine could look like

What the Orbis Machine could look like Photo: supplied