New Delhi: A science master scholar from India Rudrarup Sengupta and two of his colleagues at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have developed a COVID-19 breathalyser which can detect the coronavirus within a minute.
The invention, if it comes to the market, is likely to bring a revolution in COVID-19 fight, at a time when scientists across the globe are trying to make the screening and detection process much quicker and easier.
Kolkata-born Sengupta is part of the research carried out by Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev under the guidance of Professor Gabby Sarusi. The research team also includes master scholar Adi Paz.
The testing process involves blowing into a capsule three times via the mouthpiece and the nanochip installed in the prototype will analyze the sample instantly.
“Our testing kit is much simpler than the breathalyser that the traffic police use to measure a motorist’s blood-alcohol levels,” Sengupta told ETV Bharat.
The test kit developed by Professor Sarusi and his team is completely physics-oriented.
“…We asked ourselves since this virus is just like a nano-particle or a quantum dot with a diameter between 100nm to 140nm in terms of its size and electrical properties, can we detect it using methods from the world of physics, photonics and electrical engineering, then we discovered the method,” Prof Sarusi said.
The clinical trials of the breathalyser have been completed with the Israel Defense Ministry with over 90 per cent success rate.
“We are now structuring the entire project to bring the finished product commercially in the market worldwide,” Sengupta informed.
The accuracy rate of the COVID-19 tests at present ranges between 70 to 95 per cent.
The team did not elaborate on the physics behind the invention or their market strategies until they patented their technology as they have a non-disclosure agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defence and some other related organisations.
Commenting on the invention, Dr Giridhar Gyani, director general of Association of Health Care Providers told this correspondent that the technology could give a push to the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
“Scientists across the globe are working on testing kits and other medical pieces of equipment. And if the breathalyzer can give results within a minute it will be huge,” said Gyani.
He said that several private companies have also been trying to invent such technology which can detect Coronavirus within a very short time.
India’s apex medical research institute (ICMR) has already approved some test kits invented by Indian scientists. In March, Pune-based biotechnology company, Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd came with the first indigenous Coronavirus testing kits.
At present RT-PCR tests are being conducted to detect COVID-19. As per present methods, throat or nose swabs are being used to check the existence of the virus.
The process is based on amplifying and identifying the viral RNA/DNA sequences, and which takes hours, and in many cases days, to get the results. An RT-PCR test costs Rs 4500 in a private laboratory.
ICMR has recently given its nod to a low-priced COVID-19 testing kit designed by a group of researchers in West Bengal. Researchers said that the kit named DiAGSure nCOV-19 Detection Assay can meet the growing demand for testing equipment in India.
Priced around Rs 500, DiAGSure nCOV-19 Detection Assay kit has reportedly demonstrated a near 100 per cent accuracy in detecting the virus in 90 minutes.
Also read: COVID-19 news from across the nation
