19-Mar-2021 | Market Research Store

Nasal swab has been a time-consuming and painful process for many. Thus, there is a lot of demand for a non-invasiveand speedy result delivering COVID tests. Recently, a team of researchers from University of Canterbury, Callaghan Innovation's Protein Science and Engineering team, and Massey University have developed a breathe test to detect COVID-19 within 5 Minutes. This new approach for detecting the coronavirus viral proteins or particles present in the body fluids including saliva or breathe is not only accurate but also highly sensitive. The combination of sensing measurement, biological analysis, and target protein capture helps set fool-proof principle for the novel COVID-sensing test. The reduction in the time for testing and increase in the volume of test definitely sets the performance bar high.

The latest test identifies the COVID spike protein antigen quickly and is thus worth comparing tothe accuracy of the modern gold standard lab-based method. The national lockdown in March and April 2020 had motivated the researchers to develop tests and necessary vaccine or medication to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers started working on the current biomolecular sensing approaches to help detect COVID-19. The key discovery is to find a recognition element that will target and specifically bind to the viral parts such as spike proteins.

The first attempt was to use the ACE2 receptor to bind to the virus but it proved difficult in the long run. The researchers then found non-helical DNA sequences to bind to the spike protein and also built variety of sensing systems. The basic goal is to develop near-immediate point of use/care COVID-testing with high accuracy. The latest tests could be used at border services such as ports,airports, and MIQ facilities. The researchers hope to commercialize the test soon but only after the through testing from expertise in nanomaterial design for point-of-use surface-enhanced Raman scattering applications. It is believed that this breathe test could be the platform technology for sensing applications such as other pathogens or environmental pollutants detection.

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