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New Zealand-made breath test may sense COVID-19 within minutes

Although other such breath-based Covid-19 tests have been designed around the world, New Zealand researchers say their solution could be as accurate as current lab sampling. A Kiwi-designed breath test is believed to be able to detect Covid-19 in as little as five minutes.

Last year, a team was created with expertise in sensing measurements, biochemical analysis and making the Sars-Cov-2 virus’ target protein. The result was a proof-of-principle for a new test that could dramatically decrease turn-around times for testing and increase the volume of tests that can be performed.

Now, the work led by researchers from several universities in the country has been described in a just-published study. Developers say they established a new approach to detecting Covid-19 viral proteins that is sensitive and accurate enough to directly detect coronavirus particles at biologically relevant levels, specifically in-breath or saliva samples.

The developers said that unlike other proposed Covid breath-testing technologies, this test directly detects the Covid spike protein antigen and so is expected to be as accurate as the gold standard lab-based approach. The research was motivated and made possible by the pandemic, as it allowed resource that would have been allocated elsewhere to be directed to the study, after the national lockdown in March and April.

The brainstorming started on how they could adapt existing biomolecular sensing approaches to detecting Covid. The key insight for them is that you need a ‘recognition element’ that specifically and selectively binds to part of the virus – in their case, the protein spike. The first thing they tried was part of the ACE2 receptor to which the virus is known to bind but it was too hard to make enough of it. They then discovered a paper in the literature about non-helical DNA sequences that were evolved to bind to the spiked protein, and then built them into a range of different sensing systems and tested how well they worked.

If developed and commercialised, the developers said that New Zealand could have “near-immediate point of use” testing. They imagine having these devices at all border facilities, such as airports, ports, and MIQ facilities. The developers said that they will continue developing this as a ‘platform technology’ for other sensing applications, for example, rapid detection of other pathogens or environmental pollutants. In the future, if other pathogens emerge, they find the technology beneficial to be able to use what they have learned to roll out real-time sensors and diagnostics a lot more quickly, they added.

Also, it has been reported recently that a New Zealand based AI company, has also created a personal early warning indicator for viral infection, including Coronavirus. The system overcomes what is arguably the health sector’s greatest obstacle – viral spread by asymptomatic people who do not know they are infectious. By developing personal baselines of biometric data from smartphones and other wearables, the system detects changes to those individual baselines that fit Covid-19 patterns – changes that occur as the body begins fighting a viral infection.

Accordingly, reports say that New Zealand’s digital future is happening now, thanks to Covid-19, The country continues to accelerate its digital transformation and at the same time, local tech firms are stimulating an environment where tech provides both economic and social benefits for all Kiwis, as well as opportunities for the country to make a difference and be more relevant to the rest of the world.

Tech firms say as the world continues to respond to Covid-19, New Zealand can take advantage of being one of the most digital countries in the world. The country’s large collaborative tech ecosystem is providing the foundation for a more productive, sustainable, and inclusive economy and society.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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