Accessioning and automation compatible anterior nares swab design

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unparalleled need for viral testing capacity across the world and is a critical requirement for successful re-opening of economies. The logistical barriers to near-universal testing are considerable. We have designed an injection molded polypropylene anterior nares swab, the RHINOstick, with a screw cap integrated into the swab handle that is compatible with fully automated sample accessioning and processing. The ability to collect and release both human and viral material is comparable to that of several commonly used swabs on the market. SARS-CoV-2 is stable on dry RHINOstick swabs for at least 3 days, even at 42°C, and elution can be achieved with small volumes. The swab and barcoded tube set can be produced, sterilized, and packaged at < 2 USD per unit and can easily be adopted by large research institutes to increase throughput and dramatically reduce the cost of a standard SARS-CoV-2 detection pipeline.