Automated In-Situ Detection of Airborne SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses

Kromek Ltd, Sedgefield, County Durham, United Kingdom

TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY

Tech Brief: Kromek has developed the first fully automated detection system to detect airborne bacterial pathogens in-situ, using next-generation DNA sequencing, as part of a current project funded by DARPA. We seek to further develop this technology by adding a viral pipeline allowing the detection of viruses and SARS-CoV-2 specific detection.

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SHOWCASE SUMMARY

FIGURES OF MERIT

Value Proposition: The current pandemic has shown that novel viruses, in particular, those with predominantly airborne transmission pathways can have catastrophic health, social, and economic impact across the world. Through in-situ monitoring for airborne pathogens, this technology has a clear impact pathway in premises such as pubs, theatres and concert venues, factories, schools, and airlines, and can also deliver a significant contribution to the understanding of the progression of the pandemic. The innovation allows for the reintroduction of day-to-day activities to almost the same degree as before the onset of the pandemic, with guaranteed confidence of identifying SARS-Cov-2 from the air. This, in turn, will restore the confidence of the public and aid in the recovery of the economy In addition to this, the technology will have a significant impact on the defense and homeland security sectors for instance in monitoring high-value locations like cruise ships, military barracks, etc with stand-off methods for point of entry detection. By continuously monitoring venues for the presence of airborne SARS-Cov-2 viral particles, this provides an early alert when a clean site is compromised, allowing for sanitization and test and trace processes to start immediately, reducing the chances of an exponential transmission from monitored venues.