Novel concentrator to capture airborne viral particles

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY

Tech Brief: Capture and detection of airborne viral particles present a substantial challenge due to low air volumes and low analysis sensitivity. We present a novel air sampling technology that allows concentrating air sample into a small droplet allowing to analyze the entire sample, thus substantially improving detection sensitivity

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SHOWCASE SUMMARY

FIGURES OF MERIT

Value Proposition: Environmental and public health professionals, industrial hygienists, and environmental consultants always seek technologies to help them serve their clients and the public. These days, they face unprecedented challenges to evaluate the presence of and exposures to airborne viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2. However, their efforts are often hampered by bulky and noisy sampling pumps needed to run sampling filters, sample losses due to elution from filters, followed by uncertainty in sample analysis due to the loss of sample or ability to analyze only a fraction of it. We offer a substantial improvement over existing sampling technologies: a device that is light-weight, battery-operated, and easy to carry around. More importantly, this novel sampling technology concentrates the entire sample into a single droplet allowed shorter sampling time (more than 10x faster than conventional devices) and improved detection sensitivity. Because the technology is electrostatics-based, it is uniquely suitable to capture individual viruses, viral aerosols, and even larger viral droplets. The efficacy and advantages of this technology have been demonstrated in multiple peer-reviewed publications. The data show an effective capture of OC43 human coronavirus.