Could your face mask detect Covid?

New Delhi, India

Do you also hate the uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful RT-PCR Covid nasal swab test? Good news, soon that might become a thing of the past, replaced by masks that can tell if the wearer has COVID-19 or not.

Researchers have developed a prototype COVID-19 testing face mask that has the capability to do just that.

Equipped with a patch of sensors that are attached to a pad that collects the user's breath particles, this mask needs to be worn for just 15 minutes to get a result.

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According to research published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, this is what the future looks like: tiny sensors incorporated into wearable fabrics like masks and jackets which could provide instant information on exposure to disease-causing pathogens such as the coronavirus.

Peter Nguyen the study’s co-author, says that these highly sensitive tests can be integrated into smart wearables “beyond what a FitBit or Applewatch can offer”.

Although up till now, these tests have been restricted for use in laboratories, they may soon be available to the public.  

"The concept is similar to how our own skin works, where you automatically sense your environment with exquisite sensitivity without needing to actively participate in the details of the process itself," says Nguyen, a research scientist at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University.

Earlier such tests were based on living cells, which according to researchers can be too fragile and sometimes even dangerous in non-medical settings. However, in this new study, scientists were able to re-create the cell parts that sense dangerous microorganisms and freeze-dry them.

In this new study, researchers have made use of cell-free reactions which contain the tools of a living cell without the cell itself.

These freeze-dried cells can then be re-activated to begin testing by adding water similar to a "package of instant ramen noodles", says Nguyen.

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In the new study, researchers used cell-free reactions that contain the tools of a living cell without the cell itself.

Since these cells are not alive, the sensors can be freeze-dried and stored for months until they are ready to be activated.

The authors of this study show that these sensors, which use CRISPR gene-editing technology, have the capability to match laboratory virus detection and they can be woven into wearable fabrics. 

These wearable detectors might be useful for "anyone working in an environment where they might be exposed to pathogens or toxins".

The user needs to wear the prototype COVID-19 testing face mask for at least 15 minutes after its sensors collect their breath particles. After the fifteen minutes are up, they pierce a small pouch on the mask and water wicks the sample into the sensor for analysis. 

A strip on the mask displays the result. 

Wearable warning

The researchers have also developed a jacket for a liquid "exposure event", for people working in dangerous environments. 

The jacket also employs the gene-editing tool CRISPR, to create sensors that light up when exposed to the target pathogen. 

From tiny sensors in the fabric, Fibre optic threads in the jacket carry information to a miniature detector. This detector which is placed within the garment is the size of a small candy bar.

"In the short term, we see the wearables and especially the face masks being used in the clinic for specialised situations," he added.  

However according to Nguyen in the long run, especially in cases of local outbreaks, for easy at-home testing these garments could also be used by regular people.