Gold nanoparticle rapid tests
Home pregnancy tests and COVID-19 rapid tests are lateral flow tests: the sample soaks along a strip. Gold nanoparticles carrying antibodies latch onto whatever the test looks for and pile up at the test line, which is what makes the line appear.
The Guardian, 2025How far from your life: It is probably already in your life.
Independently sourcedFrom lab to your life
Why it’s on step 5
- 1Lab discovery
- 2Working prototype
- 3Real-world testing
- 4Approved or on sale
- 5Everyday life
The rule
Widely used: in products or treatments that reach millions of people, or sold in ordinary shops.
- The UK government said more than 2 billion lateral flow tests had been provided across the UK since 2020. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 22 Feb 2022
The short version
What you need to know
- Is it really nano?
Truly nano
The line you read is made of gold nanoparticles. At that size gold looks intensely red, not gold, which is why it works as a label.
University of Tübingen- Where you’ll find it
In pregnancy tests and COVID-19 rapid tests from pharmacies and supermarkets.
University of Tübingen- Who’s behind it
Many test makers
On the record
Every step, dated
Newest first. Company-reported means the only source so far is the company itself.
- Widely used
The UK government said more than 2 billion lateral flow tests had been provided across the UK since 2020.
The Pharmaceutical Journal, 22 Feb 2022
Sources
Where every line comes from
Each source with the passage, word for word, that backs what we wrote.
- The Guardian, 2025
The test contains gold nanoparticles, connected to specific antibodies, which bind to the target molecules, if present.
- University of Tübingen
Gold nanoparticles have an intense red colour and are therefore well suited as a label in lateral flow assays.
- The Pharmaceutical Journal, 22 Feb 2022
with more than 2 billion lateral flow tests provided across the UK since 2020.
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