Perhaps the biggest story in COVID-19 diagnostics in 2021 has been the emergence of rapid, point-of-care and at-home tests for use in screening asymptomatic populations. While test producers, policy makers and community health officials will continue to prioritize these tests in the months ahead, the modality of rapid COVID-19 testing is already beginning to evolve. Next year at this time, we may conclude that 2022 was the year that COVID-19 testing advanced beyond swabs to breathalyzers. The Rapid Testing Challenge Most of the current rapid assays on the market rely on antigen secreted by antibodies the body produces to fight SARS-CoV-2 in order to detect the virus. Serology tests detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies directly. While suitable for screening purposes, antibody and antigen testing is relatively lacking in sensitivity and accuracy. The label “rapid” also belies the fact that these tests do take minutes to process and do not deliver results immediately the way tests based on other modalities do. Since the public health emergency began, test makers and researchers have sought to develop tests based on other kinds of biomarkers. Among the most promising biomarkers are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) expelled by the lungs that can be detected via a rapid […]