英国牛津大学工程科学系和牛津大学高等研究院（苏州）针对冠状病毒病，研发了一款快速测试技术，而参与这项研究计划的其中一人，是来自马来西亚的博士生林汶铨（26岁）。
林汶铨毕业于隆中华
林汶铨是一名合成生物学博士生，毕业于吉隆坡中华独中，在获得公共服务局奖学金后，到英国牛津大学升学。
他说，这项新技术将能更快地生产出检测结果，并有可能让人们在家自行检验。
“我们可以在一个单一的温度情况下，即65摄氏度，在半个小时内看到结果。”
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| 林汶铨是于上月开始参与研究工作，主要是设计试剂盒和进行所有的相关研究。 |
林汶铨指出，有关的诊断试剂盒不需要用到复杂的仪器。
他说，之前的病毒核糖核酸（RNA）检测需要长达2小时才能获得检验结果，但是这新的技术，只需半小时，比当前方法快三倍。
“我们不需要进行提取步骤，这是需要另一套试剂盒、设备和化学品进行测试的步骤。”
他强调，他与研究团队的目标是设计和生产可以居家使用的检验产品，以便人们可以简单快捷的在家中进行检测，无需到诊断中心或医院。
“在英国，如果你要进行检验，需要3天后，才可回去（以获取检测结果），但是，如果我们能生产或设计出人们可以在家中进行检验的产品，那么他们就可以在半小时内获得结果。”
中已验证试剂盒有效
他指出，有关的试剂盒最初先被送到中国，以检测那里的冠病病例，验证这些试剂盒是否适用于临床，而最终证实它们确实有效。
“由于英国的冠病病例在增加，我们将与这里的大学和医院进行更多的合作。”
有助减少冠病传播
林汶铨是于上个月开始正式参与这项研究工作，主要是设计试剂盒和进行所有的相关研究，他加入的当时，中国正面对严峻的情况，而欧洲和英国已开始传出病例。
“（实际上）这（研究）与我的博士论文无关。我的教授来自中国，是他和另一名科学家在领导这项研究。”
他过后在星洲官方脸书留言说：“目前我们还是需要RNA提取的步骤，这是我们正在推进的部分。”
他说，目前他们的试剂会在牛津的各大医院进行测试，过后也是主推医院和检测场所，家庭测试会是未来的研究方向。
“我们的团队，不管是牛津大学还是苏州牛津大学研究院，都是以技术研究的出发点为项目作出贡献，后期还是需要政府和厂商的帮助来进行量产。”
研发冠病快速测试技术的团队有13人。而根据了解，他们研发的这个快速测试技术非常敏感，意味着可以更早地确诊处于感染早期的患者，这可能有助于减少冠病的传播。
“这项技术只需要一个简单的加热块，以便为病毒核糖核酸（RNA）逆转录和脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）扩增保持恒定温度进行检验，有关的结果可直接通过肉眼读取。”
据了解，这技术已在中国深圳一家医院进行了实际临床验证。
该医院对16个临床样品使用了快速检测试剂盒，检验出8例阳性和8例阴性检测结果。
这些测试样品早前都已通过现有的病毒测试技术和其他临床实验得到证实；而使用快速检测试剂盒的检验结果，与其他测验结果相符。
据了解，牛津大学的科学家也正努力的开发一种集成设备，以便可在诊所、机场甚至家中使用该检验技术。他们计划在英国进行临床验证，并寻求生产快速测试技术试剂盒的选项。
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| 来自吉隆坡的林汶铨是一名合成生物学博士生。 |
文章来源 ： 星洲日报 2020-03-23
Lim Boon Chuan，吉隆坡中华独中校友
2011 SPM： 9A+1A
GCE A levels：4A*
大学：The University of Edinburgh，Bachelor's degree（First Class）● Biotechnology
目前于University of Oxford 修读 Synthetic Biology 博士学位
Malaysian part of Oxford team developing fast Covid-19 test kit
LONDON: A Malaysian PhD student is part of a team of scientists from the University of Oxford’s Engineering Science Department and the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR) that has developed a rapid testing technology for Covid-19.
Lim Boon Chuan, 26, a Public Service Department (PSD) scholarship student studying synthetic biology at the university, said the new technology produced results faster and could potentially be used by anyone at home.
“We can use a single temperature, which is 65°C for half an hour to see the results,” said Lim, who had won several awards, including the third prize at the 2018 Chief Data International Big Data Forum & Competition for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The diagnostic kit does not need a complicated instrument.
Lim said previous viral RNA tests needed up to two hours to produce a result. The new technology, however, can give results in just half an hour, over three times faster than the current method.
“We don’t need the extraction step done — this is the step that requires another set of kits, equipment and chemicals to do the test.
“Our goal is to design and produce something that can be sent to households, so people should be able to do the testing at home easy and fast without going to a diagnostic centre or to the hospital.
“In the United Kingdom, if you go for tests, it takes three days to come back (to retrieve the results).
“But if we are able to produce or design something that people can use to test at home, they can get the result within half an hour without a cycle of temperatures.
“Initially, the kits were sent to China to test cases there to see if the kits work on real clinical samples, and they worked. And since the cases are on the increase in the UK, we are going to do more collaboration with universities and hospitals here.”
Lim, from Kuala Lumpur, became involved with the project, which started last month, when the Covid-19 virus was raging in China with very few cases in Europe and the UK. His role was to design and run all the experiments.
“(Actually) this (the research) has nothing to do with my PhD work. My supervisor, Prof Wei Huang, who is from China, is one of two scientists leading the team,” he said during a Skype interview.
The other leading scientist for the team is Prof Zhanfeng Cui, who is also the OSCAR director. The team of 13 had been working to improve test capabilities as the virus spreads internationally.
According to the press release, the technology is very sensitive.
“This means that patients in early stages of infection may be identified sooner, potentially helping to reduce the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19).
“The technology requires only a simple heat-block which maintains a constant temperature for RNA reverse transcription and DNA amplification, and the results can be read by the naked eye.
“This makes it potentially useful in rural area or community healthcare centres,” the statement read.
The technology had been validated with real clinical samples at Shenzhen Luohou People’s Hospital in China. The hospital applied the rapid detection kits on 16 clinic samples, including eight positives and eight negatives, which have been confirmed by conventional RT-PCR methods and other clinical evidence.
The test results using the rapid detection kits were all successful.
Prof Zhanfeng Cui said: ‘I am proud of our team that has developed a useful technology and can make a contribution in combating Covid-19. Weare very grateful to the hospital’s medical team led by Dr Xizhou Sun, Dr Xiuming Zhang and Dr Dan Xiong for their part in testing this new technology.’
The Oxford scientists are now working to develop an integrated device so that the test can be used at clinics, airports or even at home. They are planning to run clinical validations within the UK and exploring options for production of the test kits.
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