Novel Protein-Based Sensors Rapidly Detect Coronavirus Antibodies
Written by AZoSensorsJan 29 2021
A new method has been developed by researchers to detect the proteins that constitute the pandemic coronavirus, along with its antibodies. They created protein-based biosensors that glow on combining with components of the virus or particular COVID-19 antibodies.
Illustration of a biosensor detecting a targeted molecule and glowing. Image Credit: Ian Haydon.
This discovery could allow quicker and more extensive testing in the forthcoming days. The study has been published in the
Nature journal.
At present, a majority of the medical labs depend on a method known as RT-PCR for the diagnosis of coronavirus infection. The method involves amplifying genetic material from the virus so that it can be viewed and needs specialized equipment and staff. Moreover, it consumes laboratory supplies that are currently in high demand worldwide. Supply-chain shortages have decelerated COVID-19 tes
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IMAGE: An illustration of a new biosensor binding to a targeted molecule and emitting light. The creation of the biosensor was led by the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design. view more
Credit: Ian Haydon/UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design
Scientists have created a new way to detect the proteins that make up the pandemic coronavirus, as well as antibodies against it. They designed protein-based biosensors that glow when mixed with components of the virus or specific COVID-19 antibodies. This breakthrough could enable faster and more widespread testing in the near future. The research appears in
Nature.
To diagnose coronavirus infection today, most medical laboratories rely on a technique called RT-PCR, which amplifies genetic material from the virus so that it can be seen. This technique requires specialized staff and equipment. It also consumes lab supplies that are now in high demand all over the world. Supply-chain shortfalls have slowed COVID
UW News
The sun is the only star in our system. But many of the points of light in our night sky are not as lonely. By some estimates, more than three-quarters of all stars exist as binaries with one companion or in even more complex relationships. Stars in close quarters can have dramatic impacts on their neighbors. They can strip material from one another, merge or twist each other’s movements through the cosmos.
And sometimes those changes unfold over the course of a few generations.
That is what a team of astronomers from the University of Washington, Western Washington University and the University of California, Irvine discovered when they analyzed more than 125 years of astronomical observations of a nearby stellar binary called HS Hydrae. This system is what’s known as an eclipsing binary: From Earth, the two stars appear to pass over one another or eclipse one another as they orbit a shared center of gravity. The eclipses cause the amount of light emitted by t
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