KRONO · Project

Portable 40-Minute COVID Test That Works Without a Lab or Trained Staff

healthTestedTRL 7

Imagine getting a reliable COVID test result in 40 minutes — not at a hospital, but at an airport gate or a GP's office, using a device the size of a lunchbox. That's what KRONO built: a portable testing kit that skips the usual lab steps entirely. You swab your nose, pop it in, and the machine does what normally requires expensive equipment and trained technicians. It uses the same gold-standard technology hospitals rely on, just packaged so anyone can run it anywhere.

By the numbers

40 minutes

Time from nasal swab to molecular diagnostic result

EUR 784,470

EU contribution to develop the portable testing platform

Independent clinical validation sites (France and Italy)

Consortium partners across 3 countries

3 months

Minimum acceleration of production timeline

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Molecular diagnostic testing for respiratory infections like COVID-19 currently requires expensive laboratory equipment, trained technicians, and hours-to-days of turnaround time. This makes rapid on-site screening at clinics, airports, and remote locations impractical. Organizations that need fast, reliable pathogen detection at the point of care are forced to choose between slow but accurate PCR labs or fast but less reliable antigen tests.

The solution

What was built

The project developed a portable point-of-need molecular diagnostic platform (instrument plus lyophilised reagents) that detects SARS-CoV-2 directly from nasal swabs in 40 minutes without nucleic acid extraction, expert users, or a laboratory. A quantified standard for performance evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 assays was produced, and a pipeline for rapidly deploying new assays for future outbreaks was demonstrated.

Audience

Who needs this

Medical device distributors looking for portable diagnostic productsAirport and border health authorities needing rapid passenger screeningPrimary care clinic networks wanting same-visit respiratory testingVeterinary diagnostic companies needing field-deployable pathogen detectionPharmaceutical companies seeking rapid assay deployment platforms for pandemic preparedness

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare and Primary Care

mid-size

Target: Medical device distributors and primary care clinic networks

If you are a medical device distributor supplying GP surgeries and urgent care clinics — KRONO developed a portable molecular diagnostic instrument that delivers gold-standard PCR results in 40 minutes directly from a nasal swab, with no lab or specialist needed. This means your clinic customers can offer same-visit respiratory infection testing instead of sending samples out and waiting days. The system was validated at 3 independent clinical sites across France and Italy.

Travel and Aviation

enterprise

Target: Airport operators and border health screening providers

If you are an airport operator or border health authority dealing with the need for rapid passenger screening during outbreaks — this project produced a point-of-need testing platform designed specifically for transit points of entry. The portable instrument runs a 40-minute molecular test without nucleic acid extraction, meaning non-expert staff can operate it on-site. The consortium built a pipeline for rapidly deploying new assays, so the same device can be adapted for future respiratory threats beyond COVID-19.

Veterinary Diagnostics

SME

Target: Veterinary diagnostic companies and livestock health services

If you are a veterinary diagnostics company looking for field-deployable pathogen detection — KRONO's underlying QuRapID-XF technology was originally developed for in-field detection of veterinary diseases from animal nasal swabs. The project scaled production of the portable instrument and demonstrated a pipeline for rapidly creating new assays for different pathogens. This means the same platform can be redeployed for livestock disease surveillance without requiring laboratory infrastructure.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the testing platform cost compared to standard lab PCR equipment?

The project data does not include specific pricing for the instrument or per-test costs. However, the system eliminates the need for nucleic acid extraction equipment, trained laboratory staff, and a dedicated lab facility — all of which represent significant cost savings compared to conventional PCR testing workflows. The total EU project budget was EUR 784,470 across 5 partners.

Can this scale to high-throughput testing environments like airports or large clinics?

The project specifically targeted production scaling of the portable instrument for point-of-need use at transit points of entry, surgeries, and home settings via first responders. Validation was conducted at 3 independent clinical sites. However, each device runs individual tests in 40 minutes, so high-throughput screening would require multiple units operating in parallel.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The core QuRapID-XF technology was developed by BG Research (BGR), an industry partner in the consortium. IP and licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated directly with BGR. The technology includes proprietary reagents and a single-enzyme system, suggesting strong patent protection. Based on available project data, the system was being documented under ISO 13485 quality standards.

What regulatory approvals does the test have?

The project generated performance evaluation datasets specifically for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) regulatory approval, documented under ISO 13485 quality management standards. Clinical validation was performed at 3 independent sites using patient samples from Italy and France. Based on available project data, the approval process was in progress during the project period but final regulatory status is not confirmed.

How quickly can the platform be adapted for new pathogens beyond COVID-19?

One of the project's core objectives was demonstrating a pipeline for rapidly deploying new assays in response to future outbreaks. The project aimed to bring production forward by minimally 3 months compared to standard timelines. The keywords list multiplex capability for Pan Flu, SARS, MERS, and 'Virus X,' indicating the platform was designed for broad respiratory pathogen coverage.

Does this integrate with existing hospital or clinic IT systems?

Based on available project data, there is no specific information about digital integration, connectivity, or data management features of the portable instrument. The primary design focus was on simplifying the diagnostic workflow — removing the need for expert users, laboratory infrastructure, and nucleic acid extraction steps.

Consortium

Who built it

The KRONO consortium is compact but well-structured for bringing a diagnostic product to market: 5 partners across France, Italy, and the UK, with a 40% industry ratio including 1 SME. The coordinator is Université d'Aix-Marseille, a major French research university providing clinical validation infrastructure. The 2 industry partners — including BG Research, which owns the core QuRapID-XF technology — bring the commercial development and manufacturing capability. Clinical samples came from both Italy and France, giving the validation real geographic diversity. With EUR 784,470 in EU funding, this is a focused, lean project rather than a sprawling research program, which typically means faster path to usable results.

UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLECoordinator · FR
UNIVERSITE DE CORSE PASCAL PAOLIparticipant · FR
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER LE MALATTIE INFETTIVE LAZZARO SPALLANZANI-ISTITUTO DI RICOVERO E CURA A CARATTERE SCIENTIFICOparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

The coordinator is Université d'Aix-Marseille (France). BG Research (BGR) is the technology owner and key commercial partner. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right contact.

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITE D'AIX MARSEILLE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the QuRapID-XF platform for your diagnostic portfolio or deploy portable testing in your facilities? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the KRONO team and help structure the conversation. Contact us for a tailored briefing.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical