The National Institutes of Health has awarded UC San Diego $ 1.3 million to develop a small portable sensor that can see if someone has the coronavirus or has been exposed to it by someone else.
The lightweight sensor would be attached to the face masks to monitor the presence of coronavirus-related molecules present in a person’s breath and saliva.
The ‘surveillance’ test strip can also detect virus molecules that are being expelled by someone else and possibly inhaled by the mask wearer.
The user will press the sensor to see if it turns color, indicating a positive reading. The process is similar to the process used to check the results of a home pregnancy test.
If there is a positive reading, the mask wearer will then receive a test to confirm the infection. The result would be available almost immediately. The sensor is also intended to be useful for contact detection.
“It would be a way to identify outbreaks early,” said Jesse Jokerst, the UCSD professor of nano-engineering who led the project. “We are reusing something that people are already wearing to monitor the environment.”
The test strip, which may be ready for use later this year, is a variation on measures already in place for UCSD to detect and stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In the fall, the university began installing sensors in its wastewater system to monitor whether the virus is present in sewage coming from specific buildings. If read positively, UCSD warns people who have used the buildings at specific times and asks them to do a COVID-19 test.
The early warning system is the largest of its kind at a U.S. university and is likely to be in use for some time. Although UCSD has taken many steps to slow the spread of the virus, the campus has experienced an increase in infections since the start of the winter term. January 4th. According to the school, 311 students have since tested positive for the virus. More than 40% of the students who tested positive live on campus. UCSD also reports that 88 of its employees have tested positive since the start of the new quarter.
Robbins writes for the San Diego Union Tribune.