Public Funding for Vidya Holdings Ltd

The 2019-novel Corona virus (SARS-CoV2) can cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome also called COVID-19. According to recent reports, most COVID-19 patients have mild flu like symptoms, however, a fraction of those infected rapidly progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock and further complications sometimes leading to death. The U.K. is one of the worst hit countries in terms of the death toll and the economic impact arising from Covid-19 infections and its control measures. The U.K. government like many other health authorities in the world have put in place drastic social distancing measures as their main strategy to avoid the spread of the disease. According to World Health Organization (W.H.O.), a combination of measures such as rapid diagnosis and immediate isolation of cases are needed to stop the spread of the virus. However, often even those with clinical symptoms aren't able to get a test due to the growing demand. Until a vaccine becomes available the only way to prevent the rapid spread of Covid-19 will be by mass testing, not only to detect those with active infections but also those who have recovered from the infection. The current testing approach relies on detection of the viral genetic material using RT-qPCR. These tests are generally quite reliable, however, they need samples obtained from unpleasant nasopharyngeal swabs. Swabs can often miss the virus as it could either be present in very low amounts in a patient (in cases of early infection or after recovery from infection) or it could just be present in a different area of the throat where the swab couldn't reach. This can lead to false-negative results. An alternative and reliable way of detecting Covid-19 is by measuring the antibodies produced by the individual in response to the infection. This detection can also work for those who have recovered from the infection. While such tests are often done using blood, Vidya's innovative technology can reliably and accurately detect antibodies against Covid-19 in samples other than blood. The tests requires the user to collect their sample (non-invasively) in a vial sent to them by post to be returned to Vidya's central testing lab also via post. Vidya's ultrasensitive, high-throughput technology can provide the user with their results within 24 hours of sample reception.