Biosecurity

A new developed technology can directly detect Ebola virus

Ebola virus is such a deadly disease that found in 1976 in Africa. It is an unusual disease and after being discovered, it caused widespread concern and attention within the medical profession. Since 2014, Ebola virus in West Africa has killed over 11,000 people. Recently there are new cases found in Guinea and Sierra Leone.
A group form researchers at UC Santa Cruz has developed chip-based technology for reliable detection of Ebola virus and other viral pathogens. The system and can be integrated into a simple, portable device to quickly detect Ebola infections and control outbreaks since it uses direct optical detection of vital molecules. Tests have been done and the results show that the system has the sensitivity and specificity needed to provide a viable clinical assay. The results paper was published September 25 in Nature Scientific Reports.