Combating coronavirus: App that can identify severe Covid-19 risks being developed at UAE varsity

A mobile app that can determine a Covid-19 patient's risk of developing serious complications is among the new projects of researchers at the Khalifa University (KU) in Abu Dhabi.
Based on the researchers' plan, the app should be able to collect and process data from the smartphones of Covid-19 patients and identify whether they are at high risk of getting severe medical complications from the virus.
The new project was announced on Monday as the Khalifa University of Science and Technology introduced its Covid-19 Research and Development (R&D) Task Force, established as part of the institution's efforts to help curb the spread of the virus and create solutions that will bolster the world's ability to deal with future pandemics.
Under its Covid-19 R&D programme, KU has launched a total of 14 research projects: five of them focus on epidemiology; six on diagnostics and medical devices; and three on digital tools for understanding, mitigating, and providing resiliency against an outbreak.
Of the 14 projects launched, six have been developed as focused programmes, each led by two faculty experts, while eight projects have been awarded as part of an open call for proposals across the university. These research projects were selected based on their technical merit, innovation, ability to deliver results within six months, and alignment with the Covid-19 science and technology needs.
Dr Steve Griffiths, senior vice-president for KU's research and development, said: "The university's measures will place its strongest research assets and ideas at the front lines in the global fight against coronavirus. Through mobilising its R&D resources in response to Covid-19, Khalifa University is setting the perfect role for academic institutions in the region."
Other projects
KU has been making the most of its state-of-the-art facilities and expertise to advance the development of solutions for Covid-19.
In fact, researchers at its Healthcare Engineering Innovation Centre have already completed the development of an emergency ventilator prototype. It was designed with affordable and easily accessible materials and produced via 3D printing to meet the growing regional and global demand for ventilators.
Researchers from its Biotechnology Centre, on the other hand, are leveraging the centre's genomic analysis capabilities to validate the sensitivity of commercially available Covid-19 medical test kits.
For digital tools, KU's Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Systems Institute, which was launched in July 2019, brings together the university's robotics, AI, data science, telecommunications and semiconductor hardware capabilities under a single umbrella to accelerate research.
Through this institute, the university is exploring the most efficient and effective ways to gather a broad spectrum of data related to the virus and then use data analysis, particularly AI, and data modeling to harness insights.
At the same time, a cross-disciplinary team has already developed an open-source epidemiological model that can help decision-makers visualise the impact of different mitigation interventions, such as universal social isolation or selective isolation of the elderly.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com 

Ismail Sebugwaawo

ismail@khaleejtimes.com