In the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong, more than 1.19 million people were diagnosed, but it is difficult for the public to know the level of antibodies in their bodies.
The research team of the Department of Applied Physics of the Polytechnic University used organic electrochemical transistor technology (OECT) to develop an ultra-sensitive portable new coronavirus antibody detector.
Different from the current antibody test which takes about two days, the tester developed by PolyU only needs to drop a small drop of saliva sample on the chip of the tester to allow the antibody to react with the antigen. The entire test process takes less than six minutes. The cost of the test is only about 10 yuan.
The next step, the team said, is to apply for research funding to conduct clinical research, with the goal of universalization in two to three years.
The team pointed out that the technology can be used for the diagnosis of confirmed patients during the recovery period, and the government can also use it for epidemic risk assessment and epidemiological research.
The research team of the Department of Applied Physics of the Polytechnic University has successfully developed an ultra-sensitive portable new coronavirus antibody detector. The entire detection process takes less than six minutes, and the cost of each test is only about 10 yuan.
(Photo by Golden Chess)
Yan Feng, a professor at the Department of Applied Physics at PolyU, said that currently, to test whether the human body has the new coronavirus "immunoglobulin G antibody" (IgG), it is necessary to go to a hospital or a professional testing institution to take a serum sample. It takes about two days from the test to the result. , and the detection cost is high.
As for the rapid detection of antibodies, its sensitivity is lower, and it can only show whether the body has antibodies, but not the level of antibodies.
The portable COVID-19 antibody detector developed by PolyU adds special proteins to the chip to “catch the antibodies against the new coronavirus”. The new technology also applies voltage pulses to the gate of the chip, which can accelerate the antigenic reaction of IgG.
The team pointed out that the test procedure is very simple. First, start the tester and connect to the mobile app via Bluetooth. Then, drop a small drop of saliva or serum sample on the chip test area of the tester to allow the antibody to react with the antigen. After five minutes Aspirate the saliva sample.
Then drop the electrolyte on the test area and press the button on the mobile app to start the test. After about 20 seconds, the mobile app will display the antibody level of the saliva sample.
PolyU Research’s portable COVID-19 antibody tester costs 10 yuan in 6 minutes and will be available in the fastest 2 years It has been injected 6 times higher and can resist other variant viruses New Coronary Pneumonia | Omicron subspecies BA.4 and BA.5 have stronger ability to avoid antibodies, which may lead to new epidemics vaccination
