A Faster, Cheaper Way to Detect a Deadly Virus

From USC

The SARS virus, which remains a global threat after an earlier outbreak infected 8,000 people and proved fatal to 10% of them, can be detected faster, easier and more cheaply with new systems that employ nanotechnology and synthetic antibodies, researchers say. They report that their prototype engineering lets them detect a key protein associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and to do so within 10 minutes, rather than the hours now required with existing tests. More work on the system lies ahead but researchers say the technology could have important implications for everything from disease diagnosis to national security.

An Easier, Faster, Cheaper Way to Detect SARS