BACKGROUND
SHIELD Illinois uses a saliva-based test that is easy to administer, scalable, sensitive and specific to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Current notification time for the saliva test is only six to 12 hours whereas turnaround time for currently available tests is around two to three days, or longer. The test produces rapid results at costs significantly below current alternatives such as nasal swabs. Through cost and speed advantages, the saliva tests can increase access to testing and control spread of the virus by identifying pre- symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers.
It was designed by Urbana-Champaign researchers Martin Burke, Paul Hergenrother, Timothy Fan, Fadi Alnaji, Christopher Brooke, Kelsie Green, Robin Holland, Diana Rose Ranoa, and Leyi Wang, who created a testing and strategy they named SHIELD. This effort was supported by Chancellor Robert Jones, Provost Andreas Cangellaris, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Susan Martinis and their leadership team. This method of targeting, testing, and telling is currently being used at all three universities within the University of Illinois System. SHIELD Illinois is working to deploy this testing strategy throughout Illinois and nationwide. Read more about the Illinois-developed saliva-based test.