Have we just announced entry into the COVID 19 identification space ? "Cos if we have, and we can use graphene based technology to produce an accurate, instant and non-invasive predictor for all manner of diseases then surely we must be on a big winner.
Feed back appreciated
Sparc launches graphene sensor project to detect human and animal diseasesSparc Technologies, which recently announced the acquisition of Australian company Graphene Technology Solutions (GTS) as well as its plan to become a “significant developer of graphene-based products that will disrupt and transform industrial markets”, has established a new graphene bio-medical division aimed at developing non-invasive graphene-based breath sensing devices for detection of diseases in humans and animals.Sparc will advance the project together with cornerstone shareholder, strategic partner and leading graphene research centre the University of Adelaide (UA) in order to establish and develop non-invasive sensing devices for human and veterinarian applications.The focus of the project will be research into graphene-based sensing devices for the detection of a selection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in exhaled breath that are understood to be indicators of disease.Sparc will use graphene's properties with the aim of isolating and identifying a selection of specific compounds which are biomarkers for certain diseases.Subject to the findings of that work, the project will include development/fabrication of lab-scale sensing devices and initial evaluation of their sensing performances with selected VOCs.
Caltech team develops sensor that rapidly detects COVID-19 infectionCaltech researchers have developed a new type of multiplexed test (a test that combines multiple kinds of data) with a low-cost sensor that may enable the at-home diagnosis of a COVID infection through rapid analysis of small volumes of saliva or blood, without the involvement of a medical professional, in under 10 minutes.When attached to supporting electronics, the sensor can wirelessly transmit data to the user's cell phone through Bluetooth. Credit: Caltech, image from Phys.orgThe research was conducted in the lab of Wei Gao, assistant professor in the Andrew and Peggy Cherng department of medical engineering. Previously, Gao and his team developed wireless sensors that can monitor conditions such as gout, as well as stress levels, through the detection of extremely low levels of specific compounds in blood, saliva, or sweat.To create Gao's sensors, a plastic sheet etched with a laser generates a 3D graphene structure with tiny pores. Those pores create a large amount of surface area on the sensor, which makes it sensitive enough to detect, with high accuracy, compounds that are only present in very small amounts. In this sensor, the graphene structures are coupled with antibodies, immune system molecules that are sensitive to specific proteins, like those on the surface of a COVID virus, for example.Previous versions of the sensor were impregnated with antibodies for the hormone cortisol, which is associated with stress, and uric acid, which at high concentrations causes gout. The new version of the sensor, which Gao has named SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex, contains antibodies and proteins that allow it to detect the presence of the virus itself; antibodies created by the body to fight the virus; and chemical markers of inflammation, which indicate the severity of the COVID-19 infection."This is the only telemedicine platform I've seen that can give information about the infection in three types of data with a single sensor," Gao says. "In as little as a few minutes, we can simultaneously check these levels, so we get a full picture about the infection, including early infection, immunity, and severity."
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