Covid-19: this mask made with ostrich antibodies can detect the virus – The HuffPost

(Photo courtesy of Kyoto Prefectural University) (Kyodo)

CORONAVIRUS – A mask to shine in society. While this piece of fabric has become the accessory of the Covid era, Japanese scientists from Kyoto Prefectural University have just released a 2.0 collection. They designed a mask which fluoresces under UV light when in contact with the Covid-19.

A natural design since these masks are made from ostrich eggs. This bird is indeed capable of producing antibodies against Covid. To extract them, the team injected an inactive form of the coronavirus into ostriches females, which then lay eggs rich in antibodies.

It is from these antibodies that the researchers developed a coronavirus-detecting fluorescent dye. This is sprayed on a special filter which is placed inside the mask. If the virus is present, the filter illuminates under the effect of ultraviolet light.

A future Covid detection kit

The team verified the effectiveness of this invention on 32 people infected with the coronavirus. Result: all saw their mask emit a glow under ultraviolet light. A light signal that fades as their viral load decreases.

But will these masks replace PCR tests? The scientists’ objective is in any case to make it an effective tool for detecting Covid. “We can mass produce antibodies from ostriches at a low cost. In the future, I want to make it a test kit that is easy for everyone to use, ”Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, one of the researchers, told the Japanese daily. The Mainichi.

Additional tests on 150 patients with the virus have yet to be conducted. If the results are there again, the scientists will submit the project to the Japanese government for commercialization as early as next year.

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