(Mirror Daily, United States) – Virus detection is a field in need of constant development, and the discovery announced by a team of Washington University researchers in St. Louis has huge breakthrough potential. A new super test was manufactured that can identify nearly any virus found in humans or animals.
Moreover, doctors using the test don’t even need to know what exactly they are looking for; the virus test kit does its job nevertheless. According to a press release by Dr. Gregory Storch, a pediatrics professor at Washington University, the test kit has a long way to go before it launches on the market, as it is currently in the early stages of development.
Even so, the test called ViroCap already sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie. If proved successful, the one-size-fits all tool could revolutionize the way virus detection works.
So far, the ViroCap technology has offered nothing but promise; researchers said the kit can identify even the lowest levels of virus in the body. Based on the technology developed by the the McDonnell Genome Institute, the researchers devised a test that uses genome sequencing for the detection of the viruses.
Clinics and research centers around the world will be able to get their hands on the technology, as the university has decided to make it publicly available. But before launching the test itself, the experts are preparing an extensive testing through clinical trials. Until now, the efficiency of the test has been proven in the laboratory investment stage.
If it turns out to be as effective once it moves to real-world trials, the team at Washington University thinks they could introduce a major medical breakthrough. It’s fascinating to think how much diagnosing methods would change, as doctors would be able to crack even the hardest to detect illnesses.
Unlike bacteria and other microbes, viruses are incredibly hard to diagnose due to their extremely tiny size, as well as due to the fact that many of them do not present visible telltale signs. So far, only expensive individual kits could test for viruses, such as the Ebola virus test which could go as high as $1,000.
However, the problem is that even after extensive testing, a lot of viral illnesses still remain unidentified, an issue largely solved by the invention of this new test.
Dr. Gregory Storch, the brilliant mind behind the virus test kit and one of the world’s most prominent experts in infectious diseases, should find himself on the short list for the Nobel Prize soon enough.
Image Source: Current Affairs Online