Viruses, antibodies likely to be detected in 30 minutes! Details about new test

Researchers have managed to develop a method that uses holographic imaging to find out viruses and antibodies. The proposed test when fully realized can be done in 30 minutes. The test is highly accurate and a minimally trained individual can conduct this. The method has been developed by New York University scientists, Indian Express reported quoting “Soft Matter” journal.

The method involves laser beams in order to record holograms of their test beads. Biochemical binding sites activate the surfaces of the beads. These biochemical binding sites attract either antibodies or virus particles. Which particles these biochemical binding sites attract will be depending on the intended test.

These Binding antibodies or viruses help the beads grow by a few billionth parts of a metre. Researchers have shown they have the capacity to detect this growth through changes in the holograms of beads. The test will be able to analyse a dozen beads per second. This will translate into cutting down the time for a trustworthy thousand-bead diagnostic test to 20 minutes. The holographic video microscopy is performed through an instrument xSight. This instrument has been developed by New York-based company Spheryx.

The study has been published as “Holographic immunoassays: direct detection of antibodies binding to colloidal spheres”. “These measurements yield the antibodies’ binding rates and can be inverted to obtain the concentration of antibodies in solution. Holographic molecular binding assays therefore can be used to perform fast quantitative immunoassays that are complementary to conventional serological tests,” the study published in the “Soft Matter” says.