Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratory have developed a sensor that could potentially quickly and reliably detect SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus.
Prior to the coronavirus spreading around the world, Jing Wang and his colleagues were researching sensors that could detect bacteria and viruses in the air. The concept of the sensor would not replace the established laboratory tests but could be used as an alternative method for a clinical diagnosis to measure virus concentration in air in real-time. The sensor could be used in busy places like train stations and hospitals.
The sensor companies optical and thermal effects to detect the virus safely and reliably. It’s based on tiny structures of gold nanoislands on a glass substrate and DNA receptors that match specific RNA sequences of SARS-CoV-2 are grafted onto the nanoislands.
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