ST. LOUIS — A team of scientists at Washington University say they have developed a test that can detect the virus that causes COVID-19 in just a minute and requires no swabbing.
According to a newss release from the Washington University School of Medicine, the test requires the user to blow one or two breaths into the device, which then detects the virus. The device is still in the clinical studies phase, but researchers are planning to use the device in clinics beyond Washington University’s Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit soon.
John R. Cirrito, a professor of neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine, said the device will have a number of advantages over the current tests.
"For example, if people are in line to enter a hospital, a sports arena or the White House Situation Room, 15-minute nasal swab tests aren’t practical, and PCR tests take even longer," he said in the news release. "Plus, home tests are about 60% to 70% accurate, and they produce a lot of false negatives. This device will have diagnostic accuracy.”
The news release said the device uses a biosensor that was adapted from a different device that detected Alzheimer's disease-related proteins in the brains of mice. Doctors on the team said the test could also be modified to detect other viruses like influenza and RSV. They also said the test could be calibrated to detect a newly emerging pathogen within two weeks of receiving samples of it.
The same team also developed a larger-scale monitor that can detect the virus that causes COVID-19 in the air within about five minutes. They said that device could be used in public places like schools and hospitals.
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