Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

A RESEARCH team at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a fast, portable novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) detection device that can ascertain infection in just 40 minutes, from sample collection to test results, according to a release by the university yesterday.

The currently used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology takes 1.5 to 3 hours to detect the virus.

Unlike the conventional large-sized PCR devices, which use semiconductors to heat up testing samples, the team led by Professor Wen Weijia from HKUST’s Department of Physics developed an innovative silicon-based micro-heater module for the purpose.

With the latest microfluidic chip technology, the micro-heater, which has a lower thermal mass and better thermal conductivity, could speed up the heating process to around 30 degrees Celsius per second from an average of 4-5 degrees Celsius per second in conventional PCR devices, greatly shortening testing time.

Leveraging work done by Shenzhen Shineway Technology — a startup co-founded by Wen and his doctoral graduate Gao Yibo — the team started researching better tech solutions to confronting the virus epidemic immediately upon obtaining the 2019-nCoV sequence Jan. 20 and developed the testing kit within a week.

The reagents are already in use at centers for disease control and prevention in Pingshan and Longgang districts in Shenzhen, while two more sets were delivered to the Nansha Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Guangzhou, according to wenweipo.com. The device has obtained international CE certification (EU standard) and is qualified for export to all European Union countries.

The detection device uses standard rapid-testing tools like those used for influenza: A quick screening is used to acquire a sample from the nasal cavity, which is then put into the analyzer to determine results. Measuring just 33 cm long, 32 cm wide and 16 cm high, the equipment set is light and portable, making it suitable for rapid on-site testing in places such as centers for disease control and prevention, customs, entry-exit inspection checkpoints and quarantine departments as well as nursing homes for the elderly.

Shineway Technology focuses on the development of real-time in vitro diagnosis technology using nucleic acid molecules; its core team members are all researchers or graduates of HKUST.