UAE: University develops device that detects Covid-19 in 2 minutes

Researchers at the UAE University have developed a new signal processing method to detect Covid-19 in a patient sample in just two minutes. The device achieves this by using light signals and electrical responses of the viral nucleocapsid protein and antibody interactions.

Dr. Mahmoud Al Ahmad - Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the UAE University said: “Over the past two years, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a fundamental shift in the way the world works, and we have witnessed huge loss of life and the deterioration of health care in light of the challenges in detecting, preventing and managing infectious diseases.”

He added: "The current situation requires researchers and scientists to collaborate to devise solutions to mitigate these challenges and to use both medicine and technology to address issues related to diagnosis and identification of infected patients, monitoring and control of disease spread."

Al Ahmad explained that their device had a powerful system that offers many advantages compared to current technologies in addition to being extremely fast.

“It does not require sample preparation or a skilled medical specialist. It also has simple operational functions, and sensitivity and specificity of performance, in addition to being in line with the World Health Organization standards. It is low cost in terms of testing, portable and has a low environmental impact,” he said.

How it works

Specifically, the device works by adding antibodies to the virus core protein to the patient's nose swabs, then applying a DC pulse of no more than 1V to avoid damaging the sample, explained the researchers.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com