A new methodology – developed by Spanish researchers an der University of Seville – has obtained a sensi­tivity of 100 % and a speci­ficity of 87.5 % in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in naso­pharyngeal exudate from symptomatic people. It has also been possible to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fresh saliva of asymp­tomatic people, as well as to detect, differen­tiate and quantify two types of synthetic viruses – lentiviruses and synthetic corona­viruses – in two biofluids. The main advantage of this new tech­nology over PCR lies in the speed of sample processing and the ability of the optical system to simul­taneously analyze a large number of samples.

The researchers warn that these results should still be viewed with caution, as they constitute a proof of concept, with relatively small numbers of cases, under partially controlled labora­tory conditions. For this reason, they are currently working on vali­dating this new methodology under generic conditions, including new variants of the virus and the effects of vaccines. This new metho­dology allows for the detection of viruses in liquid droplets and dry residues deposited on surfaces, through hyper­spectral imaging and data processing based on advanced statistics and arti­ficial intelli­gence.

It allows rapid processing of multiple samples simul­taneously, without contact or reagents and with relatively simple equipment, usable by personnel with minimal training. This new technique uses standard optical equipment and has been developed so that it can be implemented in resource-con­strained settings. The technique has been patented and the scientists are studying various options to set it up quickly and affor­dably.

The method and its imple­mentation were designed by Emilio Gomez-Gonzalez, Principal Inves­tigator at the ETSI Engineering School of the University of Seville, where he directs its Group of Inter­disciplinary Physics (GFI), researcher at the Group of Applied Neuro­science of the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBIS) and collaborator of the HUMAINT Project of the JRC. The C-CLEAN Project has been carried out by more than 30 researchers of 11 Spanish insti­tutions, with a strong Andalusian component and European support. (Source: U. Seville)

Reference: E. Gomez-Gonzalez et al.: Optical imaging spectroscopy for rapid, primary screening of SARS-CoV-2: a proof of concept, Sci. Rep. 12, 2356 (2022); DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06393-3

Link: ETSI School of Engineering, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain