Rutgers Researcher Who Created First CCP Virus Saliva Test Dies at 51

A health worker carries out a COVID-19 testing at the Merrylands drive-through clinic in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 7, 2021. Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

A research professor at Rutgers University who developed the first saliva test for the CCP virus “died unexpectedly,” according to the university.

Andrew Brooks, 51, died on Jan. 23, the university said, adding that he “led the creation of the first coronavirus saliva-based test, which received FDA emergency approval last spring and has played a significant role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rutgers, which is located in New Jersey.