RDIF Promises 5,000 Coronavirus Test Kits a Day in New Project

An automatic system capable of conducting over 5,000 COVID-19 tests daily will be presented by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) in one month, the sovereign wealth fund’s CEO Kirill Dmitriev said on Friday, according to RNS

RDIF and Japan’s Mirai Genomics have developed a new diagnostic system for detecting the virus, which can be used both at static laboratories and at unique portable mini-laboratories. The system is using the SmartAmp method, enabling express diagnostics within up to 30 minutes. It has already received approval from the Russian healthcare watchdog.

“There are currently three products based on our technology. The first one is a solution for existing laboratories that conduct PCR tests. They can use our test, and then it will take 30 minutes instead of two hours. The second one is a portable mobile device, which can be used at corporations and airports for conducting tests there,” Dmitriev said. “The device allows testing 20 people within an hour. And the third one is a device that we will have, a large automatic diagnostic system. It will open the way for conducting over 5,000 tests daily. This machine will be delivered in four weeks already. It will appear in Russia, and we will also promote it to international markets.”

The RDIF last week announced an investment into a Russian company called Medpromresurs, which was established to focus on a new Russian-Japanese coronavirus testing system. Its partners in Medpromresurs are also two other Russian firms.

RDIF, the state-run Russian sovereign wealth fund, began to focus on how to fight coronavirus in January.