The technique, developed by a team led from the US, has been successfully applied in two synthetic models of SARS-CoV-2. The researchers will now continue their work with human samples.

A group of Spanish researchers has designed and patented a new optical technique that makes it possible to detect the presence of viruses in drops of fluids and in dry residues on a surface . The work has been led by Professor Emilio Gómez González , Professor of Applied Physics at the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville.

The new technique is based on the registration of hyperspectral images in the visible and near infrared ranges and their processing using advanced statistical algorithms and artificial intelligence . It has been applied to the detection of two types of synthetic viruses commonly used as SARS-CoV-2 models (synthetic lentiviruses and coronaviruses) in two fluids (saline and artificial saliva). The results of these studies have been published in the journal Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group). Researchers continue to actively work on the analysis of human samples with SARS-CoV-2 .

The designed method uses hyperspectral imaging technology, recently used for the detection of pathogens, mainly bacteria and fungi , in the agricultural industry and in biology. But the work goes further and develops and extends this technology to the health field for the detection of viruses through an innovative and complex process. In summary, the system records images of the samples arranged in a matrix and determines the positions in which the presence of virus and its concentration are detected.

Original Article: New technique to detect viruses on surfaces using hyperspectral imaging

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