Face Mask Can Diagnose COVID-19

A team of researchers from Harvard  and MIT created clothing that harnesses synthetic biology to detect the wearer's exposure to toxins and pathogens. They embedded freeze-dried, synthetic biology-based sensors into flexible materials and textiles. These sensors can detect pathogens such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus and toxins such as nerve gas, creating the first programmable biohybrid garments. The team has integrated this technology into standard face masks to detect the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a patient’s breath. The button-activated mask gives results within 90 minutes at levels of accuracy comparable to standard nucleic acid-based diagnostic tests like polymerase chain reactions (PCR).

Transcript

00:00:01 (intense music) - What if we could create clothing that harnesses the power of synthetic biology in order to create systems that can detect exposure to toxins and pathogens in wearers? - Standard synthetic biology sensors are not compatible in a wearable format, mostly due to storage problems and a dependence on water. Using our shelf stable, freeze-dried, cell-free reactions and toehold switches developed at the Wyss Institute

00:00:32 combined with CRISPR-based SHERLOCK sensors, we've been able to overcome that barrier, creating the first programmable bio-hybrid garment. - So we call it the wearable freeze-dried cell-free platform. And it's based on cell-free synthetic biology reactions that we freeze dried and embedded into flexible materials and textiles. The system is very modular. We can easily reconfigure it to detect different threats,

00:01:01 for example, environmental toxins or various pathogens. The platform is essentially a programmable garment that mimics the complex responsive capabilities of the human skin. We've also created distributed fiber optic networks that has integrated with those synthetic biology reactions to make a wearable that continuously scans the user and alerts them when an exposure event is detected. - Well as one of the proof concepts for our wearable synthetic biology platform,

00:01:32 we created these COVID-19 detection face masks which basically plants two interesting technologies. One that is very quick and versatile, lateral flow immunoassays, with another one that is very sensitive and precise for nucleic acid detection, called SHERLOCK. By combining those two, we are able to provide really accurate results, comparable to RTPCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in under 90 minutes. We have essentially shrunk down an entire laboratory testing

00:01:59 into a format that can be incorporated into any face mask. - This technology could be incorporated into lab coats for research scientists that work with hazardous materials and pathogens, scrubs for doctors and nurses, or the uniforms of first responders and military personnel who could be exposed to dangerous pathogens or biological weapons such as nerve gas. We are currently searching for partners who could help develop this to a production stage product.

00:02:40 We believe that inexpensive, rapid, and sensitive wearable sensors could greatly improve the safety of those at risk for exposure to dangerous pathogens and toxins.