Respiratory infectious diseases like covid-19 or influenza viruses are pandemics that can continuously spread through the air through micro-droplets or aerosols. The numerous studies published during the covid epidemic have shown that coughing, sneezing or even a few minutes of speech can produce thousands of infectious droplets containing viruses which can remain suspended in the air for a long time before spreading. Also, researchers at the University of Shanghai, in China, have devised a way to detect their presence in the air, in order to prevent their spread.
“We therefore wanted to create a mask capable of detecting the presence of viruses in the air and alerting the wearer,” explains Dr Yin Fang, lead author of the study. The researchers tested this mask in a closed room by spraying traces of the virus on the mask. The sensor detected the virus with just 0.3 microliters of fluid containing viral proteins, about 70 to 560 times less than the volume of fluid produced in a sneeze and far less than the volume produced by coughing or talking.
A mask that could be updated with each new virus
“The team designed a small sensor with aptamers, which are a type of synthetic molecule capable of identifying unique pathogen proteins like antibodies. They can simultaneously recognize surface proteins on SARS-CoV-2 , H5N1 and H1N1″ explains Dr Fang. When the presence of a virus is detected, a connected ion transistor amplifies the signal and alerts the mask wearer via their phone. “Our mask would work very well in poorly ventilated spaces, such as elevators or closed rooms, where the risk of infection is high,” he adds.
In the future, if a new respiratory virus emerges, the researchers add that they could easily update the sensor to detect new pathogens.
Source : Wearable bioelectronic masks for wireless detection of respiratory infectious diseases by gaseous mediaMatter, September 2022
