30.05.2020 change 30.05.2020

Unique iCovid Device from Gdańsk to Help with Research into Killer Virus

Credit: Adobe Stock Credit: Adobe Stock

Scientists from Gdańsk and the US have teamed up to develop an iCovid measurement platform, a tool to investigate which proteins SARS-CoV-2 virus binds to and help look for drugs and ways to deactivate it.

The device will have small diamond electrodes attached alongside an ACE2 receptor which the virus uses to infect cells. 

The diamond probes, which will send variable electrical signals depending on whether viruses or their fragments attach to it, will make it possible to study how the virus uses different types of host proteins.

The iCovid device will also help in the search for new drugs and in checking what methods deactivate the virus, for example, in saliva or nasal swab, which is a high priority as the material for testing is currently transported in an active form and poses a threat to staff.

Professor Robert Bogdanowicz's team from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Institute of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, received PLN 536,400 for the invention after reaching 7th place on the National Science Centre competition ranking list.

The 'Fast Track Funding for COVID-19 Research' by the National Science Centre has awarded PLN 140 million to 19 teams out of 262 projects submitted to the competition.

Scientists had only two weeks to prepare applications.

The Gdańsk team worked with scientists from the California Institute of Technology.

List of competition winners is available here.

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