Toward a coronavirus breathalyzer test

Date:
August 19, 2020
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Researchers have developed a prototype device that non-invasively
detected COVID-19 in the exhaled breath of infected patients.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Few people who have undergone nasopharyngeal swabs for coronavirus
testing would describe it as a pleasant experience. The procedure
involves sticking a long swab up the nose to collect a sample from the
back of the nose and throat, which is then analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA
by the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a prototype device
that non-invasively detected COVID-19 in the exhaled breath of infected patients.


==========================================================================
In addition to being uncomfortable, the current gold standard
for COVID-19 testing requires RT-PCR, a time-consuming laboratory
procedure. Because of backlogs, obtaining a result can take several
days. To reduce transmission and mortality rates, healthcare systems
need quick, inexpensive and easy-to-use tests. Hossam Haick, Hu Liu,
Yueyin Pan and colleagues wanted to develop a nanomaterial-based sensor
that could detect COVID-19 in exhaled breath, similar to a breathalyzer
test for alcohol intoxication. Previous studies have shown that viruses
and the cells they infect emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that
can be exhaled in the breath.

The researchers made an array of gold nanoparticles linked to molecules
that are sensitive to various VOCs. When VOCs interact with the molecules
on a nanoparticle, the electrical resistance changes. The researchers
trained the sensor to detect COVID-19 by using machine learning to compare
the pattern of electrical resistance signals obtained from the breath of
49 confirmed COVID-19 patients with those from 58 healthy controls and 33 non-COVID lung infection patients in Wuhan, China. Each study participant
blew into the device for 2- 3 seconds from a distance of 1NOT-2 cm. Once machine learning identified a potential COVID-19 signature, the team
tested the accuracy of the device on a subset of participants. In the
test set, the device showed 76% accuracy in distinguishing COVID-19 cases
from controls and 95% accuracy in discriminating COVID-19 cases from
lung infections. The sensor could also distinguish, with 88% accuracy,
between sick and recovered COVID-19 patients. Although the test needs
to be validated in more patients, it could be useful for screening
large populations to determine which individuals need further testing,
the researchers say.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Chemical_Society. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Benjie Shan, Yoav Y Broza, Wenjuan Li, Yong Wang, Sihan Wu,
Zhengzheng
Liu, Jiong Wang, Shuyu Gui, Lin Wang, Zhihong Zhang, Wei Liu,
Shoubing Zhou, Wei Jin, Qianyu Zhang, Dandan Hu, Lin Lin,
Qiujun Zhang, Wenyu Li, Jinquan Wang, Hu Liu, Yueyin Pan,
Hossam Haick. Multiplexed Nanomaterial- Based Sensor Array for
Detection of COVID-19 in Exhaled Breath. ACS Nano, 2020; DOI:
10.1021/acsnano.0c05657 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200819120714.htm

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