Title : Breathing new life into disease detection: Innovating real-time solutions for COVID-19 and tuberculosis control
Abstract:
At GenEndeavor, we believe in the power of timely infection identification and intervention as the cornerstone of effective disease control. With this guiding principle, we have pioneered the development of advanced identification tools for both COVID-19 and tuberculosis.
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is primarily transmitted through aerosols containing viral particles1. These aerosols can remain suspended in the air for several hours, posing a significant risk to individuals who may inhale them2. A recent report found that COVID-19 transmission can occur from an exhaled dose of aerosolized SARS?CoV?2 particles of as low as 4 TCID50/s in 6 to 37 minutes3. Despite this alarming mode of transmission, current prevention strategies mainly focus on community contact restrictions rather than real-time monitoring of airborne viral particles4. To address this gap, it is imperative to develop a system that can rapidly detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 particles in the air in real time at the point of presentation, thereby informing effective preventive measures based on actual exposure risks.
COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is primarily transmitted through aerosols containing viral particles1. These aerosols can remain suspended in the air for several hours, posing a significant risk to individuals who may inhale them2. A recent report found that COVID-19 transmission can occur from an exhaled dose of aerosolized SARS?CoV?2 particles of as low as 4 TCID50/s in 6 to 37 minutes3. Despite this alarming mode of transmission, current prevention strategies mainly focus on community contact restrictions rather than real-time monitoring of airborne viral particles4. To address this gap, it is imperative to develop a system that can rapidly detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 particles in the air in real time at the point of presentation, thereby informing effective preventive measures based on actual exposure risks.
The principles of rapid detection and immediate action are not unique to this virus alone. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the foremost infectious pathogens of mortality, disproportionally striking underserved populations. In 2022, approximately 10.6 million people caught TB, 1.3 million of which are children. TB deaths were 139,000 among children aged <5 years.5 The high mortality of tuberculosis, worsened by vulnerable populations' limited healthcare access, infrequent monitoring, and delayed interventions, is further complicated for pediatric patients due to their non-specific symptoms, paucibacillary disease, and rapid progression to active disease. Tuberculosis is a key component of child mortality, yet there are no effective TB tests for children. With over 95% of deaths occurring in children who never received treatment,6 there is an urgent need to develop newer, more sensitive, quicker, point-of-care diagnostics to identify those children infected with TB early and subsequently improve patient outcomes.
Current WHO-endorsed triage tests are limited, with rapid isothermal solutions like LoopampTM Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) detection kit (Eiken Chemical Company, Tokyo, Japan) approved only as an alternative for smear microscopy in symptomatic adults.7 We will discuss an enzymefree, rapid point-of-care solution we are developing at GenEndeavor.
