Abstract
The next big thing on the COVID-19 testing front could involve the use of electronic ‘noses'.
Several companies and research groups are now investigating whether specialized testing devices that require users to blow into them can accurately detect infection with SARS-CoV-2.
One test is being developed by Bio-Safety Technologies, a subsidiary of Israel-based TeraGroup.
It works in a similar way to a breath-alyser used by the police to catch drunk drivers, but uses a two-step process.
First, users blow into a sterile tube that is then sealed. This sample is then fed into a test reader to scan for the presence of the virus.
This efficacy of this test is not yet clear, but a trial at the University of Miami evaluated the breath test versus RT-PCR in October.
Another Israeli company, Nanoscent, is also testing a breathalyzer device for detecting COVID-19.
To get a result from the device, the person being tested must breathe through their nose into a small bag, which is then plugged into an electronic scent reader, giving a positive or negative readout within 30 seconds.
The company has had promising early results, but is still validating the technology.
Brian Cunningham, Ph.D., and his team at the University of Illinois are also working on an idea for a breath analyzer device, which he says works on a different principle to that of Nanoscent.
“A COVID-spreader is exhaling many thousands of viruses. [Our device] detects intact viruses that are gathered on the surface of a biosensing transducer with a specially engineered capture molecule. The sensor is sensitive enough that it can ‘see' each individual captured virus.”