Soon the unpleasant nasal swab followed by 24 hours of waiting for the Covid-19 test? In Lyon, at the Croix-Rousse hospital, a group of researchers from the International Center for Infectious Disease Research, from the Institute of Analytical Sciences, associated with the atmospheric chemists of the Ircelyon (Institute for Research on catalysis and the environment), are developing a new generation of test that promises to be as simple and fast as a breathalyzer.
The patient will only have to blow into a mouthpiece to see the result of the Covid-19 test appear on the screen in a few minutes.
How it works ? No reagent here, but a method of analysis of the chemical compounds present in the air exhaled by the patient. "It is a mass spectrometer which measures volatile organic compounds, even in minute quantities, present in the exhaled air", explains Christian George, deputy director of the Ircelyon. “This air contains thousands of molecules, and in the event of infection, cells produce viral proteins that need to be identified. "
Prospects for the diagnosis of other diseases
The group of researchers had to acquire from the Swiss manufacturer Tofwerk this spectrometer of the future ultra-sensitive, hitherto unique in the world, with the help of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the State and the region. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is currently in the form of a cabinet connected to both a screen and a pipe in which the patient blows.
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The trials continue during the summer, and the researchers say they are "rather optimistic" about their ability to quickly bring to market a version suitable for the general public. "If the epidemic continues in the fall, we could be ready with a prototype," says Christian George.
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This new Covid detection technique, which has the triple advantage of being non-invasive, of providing an immediate and precise result, could also offer interesting perspectives for the diagnosis of other diseases. "For pulmonary pathologies, specifies the researcher, for other coronaviruses, for legionellosis, and even for lung cancer for which it is now necessary to perform a biopsy. "