'Sensor to rapidly detect coronavirus infection developed'

According to the study, the graphene structures are coupled with antibodies — immune system molecules that are sensitive to specific proteins like those on the surface of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

PTI

October 02, 2020 / 16:36 IST

Scientists have developed a new type of COVID-19 test that combines multiple kinds of data using a low-cost sensor to analyse small volumes of saliva or blood in less than 10 minutes, an advance that may enable at-home diagnosis of the novel coronavirus infection. The researchers, including those from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the US, had previously developed wireless sensors made of graphene — a sheet-like form of carbon — that can monitor conditions like gout by detecting extremely low levels of specific compounds in the blood, saliva, or sweat.

In these sensors, described in the journal Matter, a plastic sheet etched with a laser generates a 3D graphene structure with tiny pores that are sensitive enough to detect compounds that are only present in very small amounts with high accuracy. According to the study, the graphene structures are coupled with antibodies — immune system molecules that are sensitive to specific proteins like those on the surface of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The new version of the sensor, named SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex, contains antibodies and proteins that allow it to detect the presence of the novel coronavirus itself, antibodies created by the body to fight the pathogen, and chemical markers of inflammation which indicate the severity of the COVID-19 infection. "This is the only telemedicine platform I've seen that can give information about the infection in three types of data with a single sensor," said study co-author Wei Gao from Caltech.

"In as little as a few minutes, we can simultaneously check these levels, so we get a full picture about the infection, including early infection, immunity, and severity," Gao said. While established COVID-testing technologies usually take hours or even days to produce results, and also require expensive, complicated equipment, the researchers said the new system is simple and compact.

The scientists said they have so far tested the device only in the lab with a small number of blood and saliva samples obtained for medical research purposes from individuals who have tested positive or negative for COVID-19. Though preliminary results indicate that the sensor is highly accurate, the researchers believe a larger-scale test with real-world patients rather than laboratory samples must be performed to definitively determine its accuracy.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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