Without laboratory assistants and laboratories
The Gamalei Center has developed a device that captures coronavirus in the air
The Gamalei Center has developed a device capable of detecting up to 86 pathogens in the air, including the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, said Artem Tkachuk, head of the translational biomedicine laboratory.
"This is a device that allows you to identify up to 86 targets of pathogenic biological agents of completely different nature in the air – viruses, bacteria and toxins," he said.
The device, which has been created since 2015, can work automatically, without direct human involvement, in a constant 24/7 mode.
According to Tkachuk, the detection complex of pathogenic biological agents consists of several independent modules that can conduct an accurate specific analysis. Its results are comparable to studies in a biological laboratory – however, directly on the spot, without human participation.
The complex has a trigger device and monitors the excess of a dangerous concentration of a substance in the air in real time. The signal can arrive within a few seconds. After that, an in-depth analysis of the sample is launched, which determines the specific type of pathogen.
"Since there is now an urgent need for diagnostic tools and rapid detection of such dangerous infectious diseases as SARS-CoV-2, accordingly, this device is completing state tests in the near future and is being prepared for mass serial production," the head of the laboratory said.
The device will begin to be placed in the metro and airports in October, about a hundred points have been approved for installation. Development work is now being completed, and at the end of the year it is planned to release some of the devices, Tkachuk said.
As the developer explained, the device covers an area of at least one hundred square meters and can be connected directly to ventilation systems. This allows the complex to analyze the composition of the air in large buildings or premises – for example, where passengers are screened at the airport.
There are several such devices in the line: large, stationary (replaces 50-60 square meters of the laboratory and five researchers) and compact – it fits in an ordinary suitcase.
According to Tkachuk, the production facilities allow us to provide installation to all customers. The scientist noticed that foreign colleagues were also interested in the device. The issue of supplies is being worked out, however, due to coronavirus restrictions, difficulties may arise with this - "as before, it is not possible for a team of technicians to fly out quickly, for example, for installation."
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