Nanoscience vs. COVID19
International funding agencies are creating ad hoc calls to promote a coordinated and effective research effort to face the COVID-19 disease. Meanwhile, research groups around the globe are reorienting their research towards this major scientific challenge.
The ICN2 has achieved a leading role in international initiatives and its researchers have been able to create opportunities based on previous work and knowledge. Find some examples below:
CoNVaT: The ICN2 leads one of the 17 projects funded by the European Commission
The CoNVaT project is developing a point-of-care platform for rapid diagnosis and monitoring of coronavirus. The biosensor device will also allow the analysis of different types of coronavirus present in reservoir animals, such as bats, to monitor the evolution of these viruses and prevent future infectious outbreaks in humans.
It is coordinated by Prof. Laura M. Lechuga, CSIC Research Professor and leader of the ICN2 Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group. The project also involves researchers from the University of Barcelona (UB), having extensive experience in the study of coronavirus in animals and its epidemiology, the University of Marseille, a leader in virology and molecular biology, and the Italian National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INMI), which is the reference institute for the analysis and diagnosis of COVID-19.
Paper-based sensors for a point-of-care low cost diagnose
The research led by the ICN2 Nanobioelectronics and Biosensors Group is another of the focus of interest in the fight against COVID-19. This Group is actively working to raise funding from COVID-19 specific open calls and further develop its sensors to be able to diagnose the new disease. It is also supporting the work by the spin-off PaperDrop DX, a nanobiotech company focused on the development of new diagnostic tools.
Their research has contributed to develop low-cost and highly-sensitive sensors that might have a chance of detecting the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. While having proven useful in other health and food applications, it is still to be seen how they can contribute to the present challenge. The Spin-off from the ICN2 PaperDropDX has redirected its efforts to develop a test to detect antigens of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by means of antibodies.