Optical sensor detects viruses like COVID-19 with ‘nearly instantaneous results’

Developed by a team at the University of Central Florida, the optical sensor uses nanotechnology to rapidly identify viruses from blood samples. The researchers said the device can tell with 95 per cent accuracy if someone has a virus, improving on existing rapid tests that could have low accuracy. The team’s results are detailed in Nano Letters.

The researchers tested the device using samples of Dengue virus, a mosquito transmitted pathogen that causes Dengue fever. The technology can easily be adapted to detect other viruses, like COVID-19, said study co-author Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center.

“The sensitive optical sensor, along with the rapid fabrication approach used in this work, promises the translation of this promising technology to any virus detection including COVID-19 and its mutations with high degree of specificity and accuracy,” Chanda said in a statement. “Here, we demonstrated a credible technique which combines PCR-like genetic coding and optics on a chip for accurate virus detection directly from blood.”