Oxford University said testing for coronavirus infection could become quicker and more accurate, following the launch of a multicenter national program of research to evaluate how new diagnostic tests perform in hospitals, general practices and care homes.
The Covid-19 National DiagnOstic Research and Evaluation Platform, or CONDOR, will create a single national route for evaluating new diagnostic tests in hospitals and in community healthcare settings, according to a statement on the university’s website on Wednesday.
The 1.3-million pound ($1.6-million) research program seeks to bring together experts who are “highly experienced in evaluating diagnostic tests and generating the robust evidence required” for a test to be used in the U.K.’s National Health Service.
Jointly led by the University of Oxford and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the program will put the many tests developed by the life sciences industry to either detect current coronavirus infection or to find out if someone has previously been infected through their paces in hospital, general practice, and care home environments.
