Recognizing that lateral flow tests have created a silent plastic crisis, researchers from U.K.-based Abingdon Health are hoping to manufacture diagnostic devices composed of seaweed.

Specifically, the team is hoping to create seaweed-based housings to replace traditional petroleum plastics without changing the way such diagnostic lateral flow tests work.

Source: Abingdon Health

To accomplish this, the company has partnered with Symbio Technologies Ltd, creators of a patented, compostable, bio-based material derived from red seaweed.

The prototypes were developed using 100% red seaweed feedstock, making the prototypes fully bio-based. These pellets can be processed using standard injection-molding machines that are already used to manufacture polystyrene test housings.

So far, Abingdon Health has already molded seaweed-based housings in standard lateral-flow shell formats and mid-stream formats used in pregnancy and fertility kits.

During trials, the seaweed derived device proved comparable to traditional plastics in terms of stability and shelf-life.

Further, the material is compostable and does not require industrial composting facilities but fully disintegrates instead of entering landfills, the team explained. Likewise. the material can reportedly be processed at lower temperatures, thereby reducing energy use during manufacturing.