UMass Chan launching study of at-home COVID-19 tests

Photo | Grant Welker UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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By Alexander MacDougall

UMass Chan Medical School is seeking participants in a nationwide study to learn about the performance of the newest at-home tests for detecting COVID-19.

The study involves downloading an app called MyDataHelp, answering some questions and performing three types of COVID-19 tests at home over the course of one to two days, according to the Wednesday announcement from the Worcester school.

The participants may be based anywhere in the United States, except for Arizona due to laboratory limitations.

Dr. Nathaniel Hafer, an assistant professor of molecular medicine at UMass Chan and lead investigator of the team behind the study, said the school hopes to enroll at least 1,300 people for the study,

“These studies will provide the necessary data to confirm performance of new rapid antigen tests,” said Hafer in a press release. “Bringing more high-quality tests to the U.S. consumer continues to be a priority for our study team.”

For the early phase of the study, researchers are seeking out participants experiencing symptoms which are consistent with that of COVID-19, said Dr. Apurv Soni, a UMass Chan professor of medicine and principal investigator of the study.

“This is important because for new tests, we want to make sure they work in symptomatic patients first,” said Soni.

Participants who complete all parts of the study on time will be given a $25 gift card as a form of encouragement to participate in the study.

Those interested in potentially being a part of the study need to download the MyDataHelps app and enter the code RCCZFS to see if they are eligible to join.