Now a face mask that detects COVID-19 like RT-PCR tests

The SARS-CoV-2 biosensor is based on the wearable freeze-dried cell-free (wFDCF) technology, which involves extracting and freeze-drying the molecular machinery that cells use to read DNA and produce RNA and proteins.

New York: A team of US researchers has developed face masks with biosensors that can be customised to detect pathogens such as the SARS-CoV2, virus causing COVID-19, and toxins and alert the user. The button-activated mask, developed by the researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gives results within 90 minutes at levels of accuracy comparable to standard nucleic acid-based diagnostic tests like polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The finding is reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology. "We have essentially shrunk an entire diagnostic laboratory down into a small, synthetic biology-based sensor that works with any face mask, and combines the high accuracy of PCR tests with the speed and low cost of antigen tests," said Peter Nguyen, a Research Scientist at the Wyss Institute.