A research team from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has claimed developing a portable detection device that can help in detecting the deadly Coronavirus in 40 minutes. Simultaneously, University of Macau has also stated working on a kit that can detect the virus in less than 30 minutes, even at early stages of infection.
The condition in Hubei Province of Central China is critical with severe shortage of diagnosis kits. A lot of patients have been turned down from diagnosis due to unavailability of kits. As of now, Coronavirus has claimed 636 lives in China with more than 31,161 infected cases.
A Spokesman for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said that a team led by Professor of the University’s Physics Department – Weijia Wen came up with a testing kit within a week of obtaining the new coronavirus sequence on January 20, 2020.
The kit analyses a sample of the patient’s nasal cavity and offers a result in about 40 minutes. The light and portable detection device can test upto 8 samples simultaneously. The newly developed kit is eligible for export to European Union (EU) countries and is already being used by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Shenzhen as well as in Guangzhou.
The researchers believe the device is good for use by customs officers, border control inspectors, quarantine departments and even elderly homes.
Besides, the researchers from Macau claim developing a kit that is even faster than the kit developed by Hong Kong University.
Speaking on the occasion, the Director of the University of Macau’s State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI – Rui Martins said, “We have been verifying the accuracy of the product with 2019-nCoV samples [the formal name of the new coronavirus] since this week. It is still too early to define the final accuracy, but the initial results are already encouraging.”
The new system, which has been named ‘Virus Hunter’, was developed to detect all types of viruses, including HIV and Hepatitis B, but is being fine-tuned to detect the coronavirus.
The new test kit will be available in the next 1-2 months. It works by collecting samples of a person’s nasal mucous, which are then placed in a detection chip. The chip is then placed in a machine that delivers the final result. The kit is being tested by a Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in mainland China.
The Virus Hunter is believed to have an upper hand over other detection devices as it is based on nucleic acid detection, which is much more trustworthy for detecting non-obvious early virus infections. Secondly, it can give results in 30 minutes. Thirdly, it is a low-cost system that can be operated through a user-friendly computer interface. Lastly, the risk of contamination is also very low in this technology.
Initially, the kit would be operated by doctors and other health staff. At a later stage and after basic training, professionals such as immigration officers, would be able to use the device.
Presently, the kits available across hospitals in Wuhan take 1 day to deliver the test result. The procurement process requires a complex reporting system including hospital, District and City Health Authorities and Disease Control Officials.
