Researchers at Ohio State University managed to develop a breath test for COVID-19 that can spot the infection within seconds. The basis for the test is a unique ‘breath print’ of COVID-19 that the researchers have identified, and this includes a specific combination of oxygen, nitric oxide, and ammonia in the breath. At this stage [&he (Read more...)
Tag: Public Health
COVID-19 Vaccine Patch Does Not Require Cold Chain Transport
Researchers at the University of Queensland and Vaxxas, a medtech company, announced the development of a high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) that can deliver a COVID-19 vaccine through the skin without the need for needles. While such minimally invasive vaccine technology is to be welcomed, the major breakthrough is the temperature stability of (Read more...)
Carbon Nanotube Sensor Detects SARS-CoV-2 Within 5 Minutes
Scientists at MIT announced the development of a rapid COVID-19 test that can detect the virus in a saliva sample in as little as five minutes. The technology does not require antibodies or other expensive reagents typically associated with protein detection, and is instead based on carbon nanotubes. The nano-structures are encased in a web [&helli (Read more...)
DNA Aptamers for Rapid COVID-19 Testing: Interview with Steven Goh, CEO of Achiko and Dr. Michael Edel, Inventor of AptameX
Achiko, a company based in Switzerland, has developed AptameX, a saliva-based rapid COVID-19 test. The technology is based on DNA aptamers that are bound to gold nanoparticles. On binding with a viral protein the gold nanoparticles are released, causing a measurable color change. The test takes approximately 15 minutes in total, with the user spend (Read more...)
Antibiotic Combined with Neutrophil Attractant
Researchers at Monash University in Australia and Harvard University have developed a new treatment for infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To achieve this, they attached a chemoattractant to an antibiotic drug molecule, meaning that it attracts neutrophils to the site of an infection and primes them to kill the bacteria. The two-pr (Read more...)
Vaccine Delivery Device Inspired by BBQ Lighter
A team at Georgia Tech tinkered together a battery-free electroporation device to deliver DNA vaccines, which is inspired by BBQ lighters. The details of the workings of the vaccine injector are described in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The electric ‘spark’ that ignites the gas flowing from a BBQ gas lighter has been (Read more...)
Telemedicine to Monitor At-Risk COVID-19 Patients at Home
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich in Germany have developed a telemedicine system for high-risk COVID-19 patients who are isolating at home. The system consists of an ear sensor that monitors a variety of physiological parameters, including heart rate, respiration, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. The project also involves c (Read more...)
DNA Sensor Rapidly Determines If a Virus is Infectious
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a sensor that can rapidly detect a virus in a sample. It can also identify whether the viral particles are still infectious. So far, the researchers have trialed the technology to detect human adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2. It can provide an answer between 30 minutes and two [&he (Read more...)
3D-Printed Origami Tube for Low-Cost Ventilators
Researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada have developed a low-cost portable ventilator that uses a 3D-printed origami tube rather than a conventional airbag. The volume of the tube can be modified by changing the angles in the origami folding plates. As up to 95% of the components of the ventilator are 3D printable, the […]
Microwave Sensor for Rapid Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Researchers at University of British Columbia Okanagan campus have developed an inexpensive and portable microwave sensor that can rapidly detect changes in bacterial growth to assess antibiotic susceptibility. Using a split ring microwave resonator, the device can very sensitively measure bacterial growth in the presence of different concentration (Read more...)
CRISPR-Based Spit Test Detects SARS-CoV-2 and Variants
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute and MIT have developed an inexpensive at-home test for SARS-CoV-2 and several variants, which does not require nasal swabs. The test uses a simple spit sample, and provides results that can be read using a smartphone app within an hour. With access to a 3D printer and commonly available […]
Low-Cost Nanobodies from Alpacas are Highly Potent Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, engineered mini-antibodies, called nanobodies, against SARS-CoV-2. The team’s nanobodies are stable up to 95 degrees Celsius (203 F) and are cheaper and less complex to produce than conventional antibodies. So far, the nanobodies have shown impressiv (Read more...)
Face Mask Detects SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Harvard Wyss Institute and MIT have developed a face mask that can detect SARS-CoV-2 in a wearer’s breath. The mask employs freeze dried molecular components including CRISPR-based technology, and a lateral flow assay strip to detect the virus and alert the wearer. To initiate the test, the wearer simply presses a button [& (Read more...)
Microarray Rapidly Identifies Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2
Researchers at the Technical University of Munich in Germany have developed a sensitive and inexpensive microarray technology that can rapidly identify antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in blood or serum samples. The test can provide a result in as little as eight minutes, but the researchers believe that this can be further reduced to just [ (Read more...)
Rapid Diagnosis of Infectious Disease at Point of Care: Interview with Shawn Marcel, CEO of Torus Biosystems
Torus Biosystems, a medtech startup that spun out of Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, has developed the Synestia system, a point of care diagnostic tool for infectious disease. The system aims to provide rapid, point-of-care identification of pathogens, and incorporates microarray and qPCR technology. &nbs (Read more...)
AI-Powered App Interprets HIV Test Results
Researchers at University College London and the Africa Health Research Institute have developed an AI-powered app that can interpret lateral flow tests for HIV. The technique involves taking an image of the test with a smartphone camera, and the app can tell whether the result is positive or negative simply by analyzing the image. As […]
Nanodecoys Bind SARS-CoV-2 for Destruction by Immune System
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a nanodecoy system that provides binding sites for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The vesicles help to prevent the virus from binding to lung cells and lead to its eventual destruction by the immune system. The nanodecoys are derived from lung spheroid cells, and contain the angiotensin-convertin (Read more...)
Graphene Sensor for Rapid COVID-19 Detection
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have developed a graphene-based sensor that can rapidly detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The system includes graphene sheets that are coupled with an antibody against the viral spike protein. When viral particles bind to the antibodies, they change the vibrational properties of the graphene sheets, and (Read more...)
AirPop Active+ Halo Smart Mask: Medgadget Review
It’s often said that “necessity is the mother of invention,” and that has certainly shown to be true with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. One medical product that has seen a re-innovation of sorts, in both fashion and function, is the face covering. What has been historically an item seen primarily in healthcare and industrial sett (Read more...)
Engineered Surfaces Reduce Bacterial Attachment and Growth
Researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed a technique to create 3D engineered surfaces that reduce bacterial growth. Their approach could lead to frequently touched surfaces in healthcare facilities that result in less bacterial transmission. This should lead to a reduction in the incidence of hospital acquired infections, such a (Read more...)