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Jiaxing-developed nucleic acid test kits for 2019-nCoV, or novel coronavirus, are certified by the European Union, meaning they are qualified to be used by EU member states. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

Jiaxing-developed nucleic acid test kits for 2019-nCoV, or novel coronavirus, were recently certified by the European Union, meaning they are qualified to be used by EU member states, local media reported on March 20.

The test kits are also the first 2019-nCoV test kits in China to obtain EU certification which do not require the extraction of nucleic acid. They were jointly developed by the Jiaxing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Shanghai Focusgen Biotech Co Ltd.

Since the novel coronavirus pneumonia broke out in late 2019, China has approved seven kinds of nucleic acid test kits for emergency use; however, the quality of these test kits varies, creating difficulties in epidemic prevention and control, and there is also not enough of them meet the quick-testing demands of small and medium-sized hospitals.

To solve these problems, the two institutions developed a new test kit. "Our test kits focus on testing the samples directly. There is no need to extract nucleic acid," said Yan Yong, senior technologist at the Jiaxing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Yan added that it can minimize the chance of indoor pollution and infection among medical workers.

He also noted that in collaboration with Focusgen's potable fluorescent PCR (polymerase chain reaction) instrument, the test kits are particularly suitable for on-site testing.

Moreover, the test kits take just 40 minutes to produce a result, one third of the time required by its counterparts.

To date, Focusgen has received orders of more than 10,000 test kits from home and abroad.