Scientists develop sniffing device that can detect COVID-19

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Weizmann Institute of Science researchers in Israel created a 3D-printed electric nose that could sniff out COVID-19 from patients.
• The device called ‘Pen 3’ has a 94 percent accuracy in detecting the virus.
• The project was inspired by a previous research that found sniffing dogs are capable of detecting COVID-19 from people.

Israeli scientists came up with a new COVID-19 device technology that could detect the presence of the virus by “sniffing” the patient’s nasal cavity in just a minute and a half.

Researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel developed a 3D-printed electric nose, capable of analyzing chemical aromas from individuals who contracted the virus.

The instrument, called “Pen 3,” has a long-tube with sensor features that fits into a person’s nostril.

The device works through sniffing around the nose through deep learning algorithms, which would yield real-time COVID-19 diagnosis with a 94 percent accuracy rate.

In a statement, team leader Prof. Noam Sobel said that the “e-nose generates a pattern in every odor, characterizing the smell of COVID-19.”

“We are teaching it to smell coronavirus,” he added.

The tool is skilled to determine volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the inner nasal passage. The pilot run was conducted across 503 individuals as Pen3 successfully detected 27 people who had the virus.

“Every disease has an odor because they change metabolic processes. Metabolites have a smell,” Sobel said.

At first, the device was developed to use in drive-up testing sites. Pen3 is hooked up with an electric lift that would reach to the vehicle’s window so patients would not need to go out of their cars while the procedure is ongoing.

“When a compound interacts with the sensors, this results in an oxygen exchange that leads to a change in electrical conductivity,” Sobel explained.

The technology is pegged to be used for huge gatherings and in airports to expedite the testing processes.

The device got its inspiration from past research establishing that dogs have the ability to sniff the virus.

In fact, in a study that was published last month, it found that sniffer dogs were more effective at detecting the presence of COVID-19 than rapid testing, with up to 94 percent efficacy rate.

According to the study authors, the results had exceeded all of their expectations, recommending that dogs can be deployed at public places to help the UK mitigate the virus.

The deployment of dogs at airports is currently being discussed by the scientists from the University of Durham and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) alongside the World Health Organization and the Department of Health.

Source: Daily Mail