A medical worker conducts a COVID-19 test at a testing station in Seoul on May 9, 2022. (Yonhap)
DAEJEON, July 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology said Wednesday it had developed a new biosensor that can accurately diagnose COVID-19 infection within a very short time through a smartphone app.
The research team succeeded in detecting the target gene in a fast and accurate manner without separate gene extraction or amplification by combining loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method with CRISPR gene editing technology.
By manufacturing a small device using three-dimensional printing technology based on the newly-developed sensor, the research team enabled the diagnosis of virus infection within one hour on the spot.
The research team also developed a machine learning-based smartphone app that enables fast and easy analysis of virus density.
The app can detect even a tiny amount of virus, enabling the diagnosis of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients. In actual tests conducted with COVID-19 patients, it recorded a sensitivity and specificity of 100 percent.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
