A team of scientists from a Japanese university developed a mask that glows when the user is infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus. This mask contains antibodies extracted from the ostrich.
This mask was developed by a team from Kyoto Prefectural University, which was led directly by the head of the university's Chancellor Yasuhiro Tsukamoto (52). This mask is still in the practical testing stage. This mask will later offer an easy way for users to test whether they have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus. The goal is that the masks will get government approval for free sale next year. In February last year, the team injected an inactive, non-threatening coronavirus into female ostrich, from which they were able to extract large amounts of antibodies from ostrich eggs. then developed a special filter that is placed inside the face mask. The filter can be removed and sprayed with a fluorescent dye containing coronavirus antibodies from ostrich eggs. In the presence of a virus, the filter glows when exposed to ultraviolet light. In a 10-day trial of 32 people infected with Covid-19, they found that all the masks they wore glowed under UV light, where the intensity of the light faded as time went on. time and viral load decreased. The team plans to expand the experiment to 150 participants. The rector of the university himself found out that he himself was positive for Covid-19 after testing the use of one of the masks and this was confirmed in the PCR test.
"We can mass produce antibodies from ostrich at low cost. In the future, I want to make this an easy test tool that anyone can use," said Yasuhiro Tsukamoto.
How does it work?
In one small study, some volunteers wore masks for eight hours. Then, the filter is removed and sprayed with a chemical that can glow under ultraviolet light when the corona virus is detected. The research also shows how the filters worn by those infected with Covid-19 light up around the nose and mouth. veterinarians, also proved the accuracy of their innovations through standard Covid-19 tests. Tsukamoto found that the glowing light decreased along with the healing process of Covid-19 patients. This one mask is expected to be mass-produced in 2022.
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