New Sensor Detects COVID-19 and Variants on People’s Breath – Even When They Are Asymptomatic

The Soterius Scout sensor can detect COVID-19, even if someone is asymptomatic, to ensure that someone can enter their work environment. Credit: Soterius

Instant COVID sensor to prevent outbreaks and protect communities

RMIT University is working with partners, including Australian biomedical start-up Soterius, on the biosensor, which can detect the presence of small amounts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.

Reliable, accurate and non-invasive, the Soterius Scout sensor can provide results in under a minute to signal someone to enter their work environment or warn them if they need to perform a COVID medical test and self-isolate.

The successful prototype is now being further developed by Soterius in collaboration with RMIT, MIP Diagnostics, the Burnet Institute, D+I and Vetech, towards commercial release in early 2022.

The technology will be manufactured in Australia and will initially be delivered to hospitals, with future applications in other critical work and high traffic environments, including aged care, quarantine hotels, airports and schools.

Concept image of the Soterius Scout biosensor attached to an office wall to detect tiny fragments of COVID-19. Credit: Soterius

dr. Alasdair Wood, co-founder of Soterius, said emerging viral environmental sensors are bulky and energy-intensive and can detect only one type of virus.

“Our biosensor is so small it fits on a personal fob card and it’s easy to use — just swipe your card over a reader at checkpoints,” Wood said.

“Importantly, one sensor can detect up to 8 virus strains and our technology can be easily adapted to detect new variants or new viruses as they emerge.

“We hope the Soterius Scout biosensor can be an essential tool for the management of COVID-19, providing accurate early detection to prevent outbreaks and avoid the need for future shutdowns.”

Prototype testing conducted by RMIT, in collaboration with Burnet Institute, reveals that the Soterius Scout biosensor detects SARS-CoV-2 spike protein fragments with impressive accuracy and no false positives.

The technology can detect COVID-19 even if a person is asymptomatic.

Reliable, accurate and non-invasive, the Soterius Scout sensor can detect the presence of small amounts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and provide results within a minute. Credit: Soterius

Trials also show that the sensor has the potential to become a high-performance diagnostic tool for respiratory diseases, and it is now being scaled up to detect other illnesses such as flu and MERS.

The sensor uses nanotechnology biosensors developed by RMIT researchers at the industry-leading Micro Nano Research Facility. The biosensor technology is covered by a patent application filed by RMIT, and the integrated system is the subject of a patent application subsequently filed by Soterius.

RMIT project leader Professor Sharath Sriram said the collaboration would accelerate the translation of RMIT research into essential new technologies.

“COVID-19 will not go away anytime soon and we need smart solutions to help us detect the virus and contain outbreaks,” Sriram said.

“It’s exciting to see our platform sensor technology at the heart of this smart new solution for managing COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses in workplaces to help protect our frontline workers and the wider community.”

About Soterius Scout

Versatile, low-cost, homegrown technology Can be worn as a fob or fixture in a workspace Detects virus particles that land on the sensor and can transmit the result in less than a minute to a smartphone or reader that users swipe as they enter or exit areas If SARS-CoV-2 is detected, Scout instructs the user for testing and quarantine. Data from a reader can also be sent to the cloud to enable remote monitoring of hotspots and support local outbreak control Scout uses flexible microelectronics and a synthetic nanotechnology that binds to targeted viruses, enabling specific detection and preventing false positives. Key components of the technology — microfabrication of the biosensor, advanced manufacturing of the electronics — will be designed and manufactured in Australia. Each Scout device can be programmed to detect up to 8 different strains of virus using a sensor array Viral particles landing on the sensor chemically bind to lock them securely in the device The biosensors can be easily customized as part of the manufacturing process to detect new strains as they emerge In development since 2018, led by co-founders Dr. Alasdair Wood and Dr. Chih Wei Teng RMIT project team (Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group): Professor Sharath Sriram, Dr. Ganganath Perera, Professor Madhu Bhaskaran, Dr. Md Ataur Rahman Soterius is an alumnus of the MedTech Actuator – Asia-Pacific’s MedTech accelerator. RMIT University is a partner of the MedTech Actuator.