How does a smartphone based system detect norovirus in water?

While there is technology available to detect norovirus in water or food samples, processing these samples often involves a so-called polymerase chain reaction – which must be administered by trained personnel in a laboratory and takes several hours. In Jeong-yeol

Led by Dr. Yoon, a team of researchers at the University of Arizona set out to develop something faster and more portable. <>

Their system utilizes a small piece of paper "chip" etched with microfluidic channels to convert an ordinary smartphone into a fluorescence microscope by installing a commercially available light microscope accessory, a separate light source, and two bandpass filters. They first added a drop of water to one end of the "chip" and then a liquid containing tiny fluorescent polystyrene beads to the other end. Each bead is attached with an antibody against norovirus.

Capillary action causes water and a bead solution to flow into the middle of the chip, where they mix. If any norovirus particles are present, several beads will bind to each bead. Unlike the particles and antibodies themselves, the resulting bead clumps are large enough to be imaged by a smartphone microscope.

This allows the app to count them and thus determine the concentration of norovirus in the water. <>

The lowest detection limit is equivalent to about 5 or 6 norovirus particles per sample, so it's very close to the level of a single virus," Yoon said. Because only 10 virus particles can cause disease in people, the new method is sensitive enough for practical applications.

There's no need for scientists or engineers to run the equipment," says Yoon. "The analysis will be done automatically by a smartphone app, so you only have to worry about loading the water sample onto the chip. ”

Norovirus is known to be highly contagious, so early detection is best. With this in mind, scientists have developed a smartphone-based system.

I think it's some of the functions that his phone's own system carries.

Smartphones may have some sensor system that gradually senses viruses in the water.

Smartphones have a dedicated system for detecting viruses, and smartphones may have some sensing systems that gradually sense viruses in the water.

Smartphones have a dedicated system for detecting viruses, just like 360 antivirus.

Inside any smartphone system there are specific programs that detect various Trojan viruses and other viruses.

It's like the radar in your phone can detect fish in the sea.