PCR tests are currently the standard worldwide for screening for Covid-19, but the results usually take several hours.
Researchers at the prestigious Chinese Fudan University in Shanghai, however, seem to have found an alternative.
In a paper published Monday in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, the team claims to have developed a sensor that uses microelectronics to analyze DNA samples collected by swab.
The sensor, connected to a portable machine, makes it possible to obtain a result in “less than four minutes”, assure its designers.
This terminal has "high sensitivity" and can easily be taken anywhere.
To test the researchers' device, samples were taken from 33 people infected with the coronavirus.
PCR tests were carried out in parallel in order to be able to compare the two methods.
According to the article, all the results obtained by the two devices were identical.
The tests carried out with the new device involved a total of 54 samples, including those of people with fever but who did not have Covid-19, flu patients and healthy volunteers.
The Fudan University researchers said that once developed, their device could be used in a variety of situations, including airports, hospitals, and even "even at home".
Apart from being slow, PCR tests require infrastructure and laboratories that many developing countries have only in limited supply.
This constitutes an obstacle to detection.
Rapid self-tests also exist, but they are considered less reliable.
China is one of the world's largest producers of PCR tests.
It exported in December for a total value of 1.6 billion dollars (1.4 billion euros), an increase of 144% over one month, according to Chinese customs.
© 2022 AFP