Molecular tests are far superior to rapid antigen tests—and now you can get them for home use. Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation.

In vitro diagnostics (IVD) is an umbrella term for tests conducted on blood or tissue samples to detect diseases, determine the efficacy of novel or established treatments, and monitor health.

Minute Molecular Diagnostics, a biotech spinout from Northwestern University that says it’s created rapid PCR COVID-19 tests, has received emergency use authorization for its product from the U.S.

Last spring, a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 — developed by Northwestern University spinoff company Minute Molecular Diagnostics — received emergency use authorization (EUA) ...