The most common type of test for the new coronavirus takes several hours and is uncomfortable; samples are obtained by sliding a swab into the nose or throat.
I am collaborating with other scientists, including Yin-Ting Yeh at Penn State, Elodie Ghedin at New York University, Shengxi Huang at Penn State, and Sharon X. Huang at Penn State, on a diagnostic tool to rapidly trap and identify viruses using a laser beam and a detector. The team includes myself, a physicist, as well as virologists, engineers, chemists, and data scientists.
How we do the work
Our approach uses a technique called Raman spectroscopy to identify viruses by shining a light on a disposable cartridge that collects samples from oral cotton swabs or a person blowing through the device. Once a sample is collected, a spectrometer measures the interatomic vibrations that result from shining the light on the collected viruses. Each virus has its own signature vibrations, which act as a sort of optical fingerprint that can…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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