Shaking up the world of virus detection
22 May 2002
News
Scientists claim to have invented a revolutionary method of detecting viruses that is based on vibration generated by a small quartz crystal. Their research in Cambridge England, has revealed that by shaking a surface progressively, any virus present on that surface breaks away and, by listening to the sound made as that happens, they are able to detect its presence.
Dr Rossitza Karamanska, a post-doctoral research student from Bulgaria, prepares to load one of the quartz crystals into a prototype flowcell
The new technology is under commercial exploitation by Akubio, a spin-off company formed by the University of Cambridge.
The crystal - less than 1 cm in diameter and 1 mm thick - is actually a sensitive microphone capable of converting the sound into an electrical signal that detects the virus. The method is claimed to be inexpensive, versatile and the results are obtained much more quickly than by conventional techniques. An antibody is used to bind the virus to the surface of the quartz and the crystal is made to vibrate electrically. According to the researchers, when the virus breaks off the crystal, it creates a distinctive sound, much like a twig snapping.
In tests, a herpes simplex virus (which causes cold sores, usually around the mouth) was used. This served as a useful model for more life-threatening viruses, such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and hepatitis B, say the researchers.
For further information contact [email protected], www.cam.ac.uk
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