In a big development, a team of United States scientists led by an Indian American researcher has developed an experimental diagnostic test for COVID-19 that can visually detect the presence of coronavirus in just 10 minutes. The development may lead the expansion of testing for the virus across the world. Scientists from the University of Maryland explained that the test uses a simple method whereby plasmonic gold nanoparticles detect a colour change when the virus is present. It does not rely on any advanced laboratory techniques commonly used to amplify DNA for analysis.
The study leader, Dipanjan Pan, professor of diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine and paediatrics said “Based on the initial results, we believe this promising new test may detect RNA material from the virus as early as the first day of infection. More detailed studies are needed to confirm whether this is indeed the case.”
In this experimental test, once a nasal swab or saliva sample is obtained from a patient, the RNA is extracted from the sample via a simple process that takes about 10 minutes. A highly specific molecule is attached to the gold nanoparticles to detect a particular protein; it is a part of the genetic sequence that is unique to the novel coronavirus. When the biosensor binds to the virus’s gene sequence, the gold nanoparticles respond by turning the liquid reagent from purple to blue. Dr Pan informed “The accuracy of any COVID-19 test is based on the reliability to detect any virus. This means it does not give a false negative result if the virus is present or a false-positive result if the virus is not present.”
The team is now planning for a pre-submission meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the next month to discuss requirements for getting an emergency use authorisation for the test.
