A new biosensor can detect bird flu in five minutes
1 min read
Summary
Scientists at Washington University in St Louis have developed a device that can detect bird flu in air samples in just five minutes, potentially helping farmers to stop the spread of the airborne virus.
It works by taking air samples and passing them through a specialised biosensor every five minutes, using genetic material called aptamers to detect the bird flu virus through electricity.
Although it is not certain how effective this would be in real-world conditions, the team are already working to scale up the technology with the aid of a biotech company.
It hopes to create a biosensor chip that can identify multiple viruses all at once in the future.
Bird flu outbreaks have been reported on poultry and dairy farms recently, leading to egg shortages and higher prices for consumers and businesses.