While infectious diseases caused by viruses such as dengue fever and Ebola hemorrhagic fever are becoming a problem all over the world, Associate Professor Takatomi Yamamoto of Tokyo Institute of Technology and others pass through a nano (10/1 billion) meter wide channel. We devised a mechanism to detect viruses electrically.Since the impedance (electrical resistance) spectrum that differs depending on the size and shape of the virus was obtained in the experiment, it is expected that the development of this mechanism will lead to the development of virus sensors in the future.
In order to prevent infectious diseases, there is an urgent need to establish technology for monitoring and early detection of viruses.However, the immunostaining method of medical diagnostic technology can detect the virus only after infection, and the patch is disposable once and is not suitable for long-term monitoring means.If a virus sensor is realized and a network is created in each area, it will be possible to detect in advance before infection by constant monitoring, and to quickly identify the area and take local measures even after the onset of infection.
According to Tokyo Institute of Technology, Associate Professor Yamamoto et al. Created a channel with a width of several hundred nanometers by photolithography (* 1) or focused ion beam (* 2), and measured the impedance to determine the physical structure and physical properties of the virus. I measured it.
As a result, the obtained spectra differed depending on the size and shape of the virus, suggesting the possibility of distinguishing what kind of virus it is from the structure and components of the virus.Furthermore, since the developed device has a small size that fits in a few centimeters square, it can be expected to be applied to sensors that continuously observe viruses in the environment for a long period of time.
* 1 Photolithography A technology that creates a pattern consisting of exposed and unexposed parts by exposing the surface coated with a photosensitive substance in a pattern.
* 2 Focused ion beam A beam made by accelerating ions with an electric field, which is finely focused and used for microfabrication, vapor deposition, observation, etc.
