Hong Kong students have developed a cheap and easy self-testing tool that can detect flu viruses in just 30 minutes. This breakthrough discovery might be a potential tool to tell the difference between the common cold and flu.
A team of 12 undergraduate students from Chinese University (CUHK) developed the self-testing tool, a black box, the South China Morning Post reported. The device can identify the type of a virus by detecting its RNA target sequence, and the result will be then delivered within 30 minutes.
The device detector was named "RNA aptamer probe influenza detector," and it is based on the switchable light-up RNA aptamer. This usually undergoes a conformational change upon hybridization with another strand of nucleic acid, and it will eventually lead to an observable fluorescent signal.
According to the team leader Jessica Liu Yin-yin, the detector device costs less than HK$80 (US$10), and every test cost only HK$8 which makes it affordable for the general public. This breakthrough discovery recently won a gold medal at the international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) 2018 Giant Jamboree in Boston - held from October 24 to 29.
Influenza or flu is a transmissible disease and fatal to elderly people, children, as well as those with underlying illnesses. Although doctors diagnose the flu, it takes about a day or more for the laboratory to confirm the subtype of the virus.
The team distributed questionnaires in local and neighboring countries during their preliminary stage of the project to assess the public need for the flu test. The result shows that the general public needs this kind of test and should be available on the market to know the difference between the symptoms of flu and cold.
At the moment, the device can detect three subtypes of flu viruses, including H1N1, H5N1, and H7N9. Liu said the accuracy of the detector is about 83 percent, and the team is working to improve the accuracy and to expand the range of types it can detect. She said their next work is to develop a stronger fluorescent signal, and they will include more flu types to be detected. Human samples will likely be put into trial next year.
Aside from the flu viruses, the tool can also be modified to detect theoretically any RNA target sequence, according to said Chan King-ming, associate professor of the School of Life Sciences at the university and one of the instructors of the team. He said all RNA viruses could be potentially detected using the tool.
