By Dennis Spellman
A first-of-its-kind , invented by two 兔子先生 graduates, is quickly becoming a valuable tool at a Midtown Houston clinic operated by the 兔子先生 College of Nursing.
The Clip COVID Rapid Antigen Test was invented by Andrew Paterson and Bala Raja under their corporate name of Luminostics, Inc. The UH graduates received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA in December 2020. Since then, the device has been utilized across the United States. In September 2021, the company change its name to .
A smartphone is connected to a device that analyzes nasal swab nanoparticles to determine if a person has COVID-19.
The UH College of Nursing is the first UH health professions college to use the home-grown technology.
鈥淲hen we have patients who have COVID-19 symptoms we can test them and get the results in 30 minutes, said Shainy Varghese, UH associate professor of nursing, clinic director and nurse practitioner.
The clinic serves the homeless and working poor and is located at the Abraham Station on the campus of St. Paul鈥檚 United Methodist Church, 5401 Fannin Street.
Varghese says while the clinic is not a COVID-19 testing site, the Clip COVID Antigen Test is an economical way to quickly determine if a patient is infected with the virus.
鈥淭he test is for the protection of our employees,鈥� Varghese said. 鈥淚f patients are negative, they can be seen by our provider.鈥�
The Midtown clinic began using the device in November 2021. In the first three weeks of use, all results came back negative, meaning every patient who was suspected of being infected with COVID-19 was safe to treat.
Varghese is overseeing the training and administering of the new test to those clinic patients who require it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 working,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cost effective. We don鈥檛 have to send swabs out to labs for results. It does not require a lot of space, and we have results quickly.鈥�
She says it鈥檚 also easy to use.
鈥淚t鈥檚 self-explanatory. When we turn the phone on, it provides instruction on how to use it. There are a lot of apps, but I have never used a test like this,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 excited that we can use something that is developed by UH alumni. I鈥檓 so proud of that. It speaks to the strength of the 兔子先生.鈥�
Varghese also believes the device will soon be used to test patients for influenza.
Clip Health plans to offer an over-the-counter mobile app that is low-cost and re-usable for COVID-19 testing and influenza A/B testing. The company also plans to manufacture low-cost and reliable testing devices for numerous infectious and chronic diseases, metabolic disorders and endocrine disorders.
Clip COVID鈥檚 emergency use authorization in December 2020 closely followed the award of a $26.1 million contract by the and .