The team of biologists behind a rapid coronavirus testing business have secured an investment of £2m which could see it rollout potentially "tens of millions" of tests thanks to supply partnerships in the US, the Middle East and the Far East.

Iceni Diagnostics, based at the Norwich Research Park, are currently in the midst of testing their prototype lateral flow kits, which can not only identify the coronavirus but also differentiate between this illness and the flu.

Because of the chemistry used to identify the virus it will also successfully identify any strain of the virus - despite the mutations being reported across the globe.

Having secured £2m in the weeks before Christmas the company is now engaging in talks with global supply channels who will be able to rapidly produce the testing kits on an international scale.

Chairman Dr Berwyn Clarke said: "We're still at the prototype testing stage and we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. But down the line there is the potential for demand for this kit to outstrip what can be produced.

"We've currently got some tests being trialled in the US as there is a supplier over there who could produce about two million tests a day - and there is scope for them to scale up.

"We're also in talks with high street pharmacy chains in the US who are interested in offering tests that can give the results in 15 minutes

"We're focussing on the US market because the NHS has tended to use swab testing and there is more of an appetite or even daily testing in America."

Dr Clarke said that should conversations with suppliers in the Middle East and Far East also come to fruition the number of Norwich-designed tests could surpass "tens of millions" a week.

"Commercially this is very exciting of course, but we do have other tests we're working on behind the scenes. As a team of biologists we are very excited about some products we have in the pipeline," he said.