Currently, Measie provides up to eight different rapid tests online. These differ from sexual tests to check-ups, and can be found in our shop.

Another word for a rapid test is a ‘lateral flow assay’. This a simple point-of-care tests intended to detect the presence of a specific biomarker in a given sample. Lateral flow assays are commonly used in-home, at the point-of-care and sometimes in laboratory. The most famous and recent use case of a lateral flow assay is a COVID-19 rapid antigen tests. Antigen tests played a crucial role during the pandemic in where it indicates if a person is infectious. What is the history of rapid tests?

The technology of a lateral flow assay exists since the 1960’s. However, before 2020, the words “lateral flow assay” meant little to anyone outside the scientific community. For most people the ‘dipstick’ like test is famous for its use as an at-home pregnancy test. That this technology, of antigen (protein)- antibody binding on a paper strip, could be used for other purposes was unknown to the general public. But now, thanks to COVID-19 the term has entered the public consciousness. It is the second time that this technology experienced a form of mass adaption after its first big presence as a tool for women to test for pregnancy in private, without going to the doctor. COVID-19 now opened the gate to other health rapid test.

Before the pandemic, there were already specific segments where LFA’s were being used, mostly in infectious diseases, such as HIV, Malaria, Ebola. The rapid turnaround time, accuracy and low costs are fundamentally important for these diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) LFA’s meet all criteria to be ‘ASSURED’: affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust. Rapid tests can be used for a variety of other conditions, such as sexual transmissible infections, influenza, Vitamine D deficiency, gluten intolerance, tumor markers etc.

The technology of a lateral flow assay exists since the 1960’s. However, before 2020, the words “lateral flow assay” meant little to anyone outside the scientific community. For most people the ‘dipstick’ like test is famous for its use as an at-home pregnancy test. That this technology, of antigen (protein)- antibody binding on a paper strip, could be used for other purposes was unknown to the general public. But now, thanks to COVID-19 the term has entered the public consciousness. It is the second time that this technology experienced a form of mass adaption after its first big presence as a tool for women to test for pregnancy in private, without going to the doctor. COVID-19 now opened the gate to other health rapid test.

Rapid tests could aid in the understanding or diagnoses of a condition. It is a quick, reliable, cheap and easy-to-use way alternative for laboratory testing. According to Harvard Professor Michael Mina, rapid tests are the answer to living with covid, because it is an inexpensive method to find out if you are infectious. Likewise, rapid tests could play an important role to aid in our understanding for other important conditions and for early diagnosis. It marks the decentralization of healthcare, where patients test theirselves for a variety of conditions and are better informed.

Inside the plastic housing of the rapid test cassette, the magic happens. Here specific proteins bind with proteins on the paper strip. This video about COVID-19 antigen tests could help in the understanding of how rapid tests work:

The technology of all LFAs is located inside the plastic ‘housing’ or ‘test cassette, and contains of a paper strip made of cellulose. The most important role of the housing is to maintain the shape and therefore protect the paper strip. These low-cost plastics cassettes are fabricated with injection moulding, to make sure the paper strip is protected and could be seen from the outside. However, is not essential that this product is made from plastic. The most important argument to look for alternatives is that lateral flow is a ‘throwaway technology’, meaning the product is meant for single-use and is non-recyclable. Most tests will be incinerated along with other medical waste, but since these tests are perform almost everywhere, a lot of them also end up in landfill. Billions of rapid tests have been used during the pandemic.