At the Hong Kong Polytechnic University researchers have created a new way of detecting viruses, which may become a new standard over the slow and expensive RT-PCR and the low-sensitivity ELISA. The new technique is very sensitive and produces results within three hours, much faster than it can take for RT-PCR to deliver results. It is also quite affordable, costing less than $3 per sample.
The technique uses so-called upconversion luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET), an optical method, coupled with “upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) conjugated with a probe oligo whose DNA base pairs are complementary with that of the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) flu virus oligo,” according to Hong Kong Poly.
Via: PolyU…