A team of Cranfield University researchers has created paper sensors capable of detecting biomarkers in wastewater, subsequently enabling the tracking of infectious diseases via the camera in a mobile phone.
The team developed the sentinel sensors by building upon research conducted in 2020 to develop a test for detecting SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), Influenza A and Influenza B in wastewater using a paper-based platform in combination with an ultraviolet (UV) torch or mobile phone camera.

This new approach — which the researchers claim is faster than the standard lab-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that can take hours and even days to return results — involves placing wastewater samples onto a folded wax-printed paper sheet. The researchers explained that the paper features chemicals that react to specific disease markers, thus triggering a fluorescent color to appear that can be read using a mobile phone camera.

Source: Board of Trustees of the Science MuseumSource: Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

The researchers revealed that the results from new device were as accurate as the PCR test but faster and less expensive. Further, it promises to serve as an early warning of disease in a community.

An article detailing the paper-based test, “Paper microfluidic sentinel sensors enable rapid and on-site wastewater surveillance in community settings,” appears in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

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