A research team led by Professor Chang Seon Song from Konkuk University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has jointly developed all-in-one diagnostic platform that can collect and simultaneously detect airborne viruses with the research team of Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). As COVID-19 virus is known to spread by droplets as well as aerosol (air particle), it is expected that the research will help the prevention of COVID-19.
In order to test biohazards such as germs, fungi and viruses that are currently spread in the air, the air at the test site should be collected and analyzed in a laboratory for several hours to days. Existing technology that directly inspects at the test site can monitor bacterial and fungus concentration, however, it has limitation in distinguishing certain microorganisms or small particle viruses.
The joint research team of Konkuk University, KIST and GIST combined a device that collects germs and viruses in porous pads (filters made of glass fibers) by absorbing the air with a diagnostic kit that produces infrared radiation when the virus antibodies meet the attached nanoparticles as the collected samples move. Through the research, the team designed a disposable virus diagnosis platform that simultaneously collects and detects viruses.The disposable virus diagnosis kit is similar to pregnancy test kits. The kit collects air for 10-30 minutes, analyzes it for 20 minutes, and can confirm the presence of virus in the air within 50 minutes without additional washing or separation in a single kit.
The airborne viruses inhaled through air collectors are collected and concentrated in porous pads on the diagnosis platform. When the liquid is supplied to the porous pad after collected, the sample attached to the pad is moved to the detection area due to capillary action.
In the detection area, there are infrared light-emitting nanoparticle complexes with antibodies that respond only to certain viruses and readers that detect infrared signals. Viruses present in the sample will be easily detected by the release infrared radiation of nanoparticle complexes. The diagnosis kit can detect several viruses at once as more than four kits can be inserted at a time.
As a result of testing the device in a chamber measuring 0.85x0.55x0.90㎥, it was discovered that airborne viruses can be collected and concentrated over 1 million times in the porous pad. It has been confirmed that 82% if viruses on the pads are collected and can be moved to the detection area.
The research was published in the latest issue of ‘ACS Sensors’ and was selected as a cover thesis.
Diagnosis kit and catridge that collects and detects airborne viruses / Provided by KISTKonkuk University’s College of Veterinary Medicine - KIST Research team to early diagnosis of Avian Influenza at 100 times accuracyDevelopment of high-sensitivity semiconductor & Establishment of swift quarantines system