A team of scientists headed by SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) at Osaka University demonstrated that single virus particles passing through a nanopore could be accurately identified using machine learning.
The test platform they created was so sensitive that the coronaviruses responsible for the common cold, SARS, MERS, and COVID could be distinguished from each other. This work may lead to rapid, portable, and accurate screening tests for COVID and other viral diseases.
The global coronavirus pandemic has revealed the crucial need for rapid pathogen screening. However, the current gold-standard for detecting RNA viruses–including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID–is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. While accurate, this method is relatively slow, which hinders the timely interventions required to control an outbreak.
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