News Release
Alumni-led Lucira Health earns 1st FDA authorization for at-home COVID test
San Diego, Calif., Nov. 18, 2020 --On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to the first rapid at-home COVID-19 test, developed by Lucira Health. Erik Engelson, a UC San Diego bioengineering and microbiology alumnus, is president and CEO of Lucira Health.
 |
| Erik Engelson, president and CEO of Lucira Health, and UC San Diego bioengineering alumnus. |
The Lucira COVID-19 All-In-One Test Kit is a molecular (real-time loop mediated amplification reaction) test that uses a simple nasal swab to return results in 30 minutes, at home. Lucira says the test will cost less than $50, and requires a prescription from a health care provider.
The test works by swirling the self-collected sample swab in a vial that is then placed in the test unit. In 30 minutes or less, the results can be read directly from the test unit’s light-up display.
Read more about the test in the New York Times.
Engelson earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology from UC San Diego, and then a master’s in bioengineering from the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. Engelson is a Trustee Emeritus of the UC San Diego Foundation; Initial Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UC San Diego’s Bioengineering Department; a member of the UC San Diego Division of Biological Sciences Dean’s Leadership Council; and an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
Media Contacts
Katherine Connor
Jacobs School of Engineering
858-534-8374
khconnor@ucsd.edu