Japanese Scientists Develop Glowing Masks To Detect Coronavirus

A team of scientists at a university in western Japan has developed masks that glow when exposed to ultraviolet light if they contain traces of the coronavirus, using antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs. From a report: The team at Kyoto Prefectural University, headed by its president, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, 52, hopes the masks will offer users an easy way to test whether they have contracted the virus. With testing continuing to put them into practical use, the team aims to gain government approval to sell the masks possibly next year. Ostriches are capable of producing several different kinds of antibody, or proteins that neutralize foreign entities in the body. In February last year, the team injected an inactive and non-threatening form of the coronavirus into female ostriches, successfully extracting a large quantity of antibodies from the eggs that they laid.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.



Source: Slashdot – Japanese Scientists Develop Glowing Masks To Detect Coronavirus