Whether you are infected with COVID-19… A mask that alerts you in 90 minutes?

A joint research team at MIT and Harvard University announced that they have developed a mask that can determine whether a wearer is infected with the Corona 19 virus within 90 minutes of wearing it.

In fact, the developed mask has a sensor attached to the outside and a paper showing the results of the internal search is attached. To protect user privacy, the results are not visible from the outside. The detector is equipped with a small water capsule.

This detector, named Sherlock, contains proteins or nucleic acids necessary to create a synthetic gene network that responds to specific target molecules such as RNA and DNA, so that it can diagnose Ebola virus, etc. Sherlock is freeze-dried, activated in response to moisture, and reacted with target molecules such as RNA and DNA.

Seeing that the Corona 19 virus began to spread around the world in early 2020, the research team immediately made a Sherlock using Corona 19 RNA as a target molecule, covered it with a resin part, and attached a mask. When the button is pressed during the test, Sherlock is activated in the water in the capsule and the virus is detected within 90 minutes.

The research team explained that this test boasts the same level of sensitivity as the high-sensitivity PCR test, and that the result is as fast as the antigen test used for rapid COVID-19 infection analysis.

In addition to COVID-19 and Ebola viruses, Sherlock can also detect influenza viruses and nerve gas. The researchers claim that the detector could be integrated into clothing as well as masks and could be a new way to monitor healthcare workers exposed to a variety of pathogen threats. Related information can be found here.