Harvard and MIT just made a face mask that can detect COVID-19

• Engineers developed a mask prototype that can alert the wearer of a COVID-19 diagnosis.

• Sensors placed inside the mask can detect the virus within 90 minutes.

• It can be easily fitted in other garments and can potentially help detect other viruses.

We may one day be wearing face masks that can detect COVID-19 and other pathogens and toxins.

Engineers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a mask prototype that can alert the wearer of a COVID-19 diagnosis within about 90 minutes.

At first glance, there’s nothing obtrusively different about the masks; it’s a standard KN95 mask. However, engineers fitted little, disposable sensors, which they say could be easily fitted to other models and potentially be adapted to detect other viruses.

“We have essentially shrunk an entire diagnostic laboratory down into a small, synthetic biology-based sensor that works with any face mask, and combines the high accuracy of PCR tests with the speed and low cost of antigen tests,” said Peter Nguyen, co-author of the study and a research scientist at the Wyss Institute.

The programmable biosensors could be integrated into other garments, like lab coats, which could then provide “on-the-go detection” of other substances like viruses, bacteria, toxins, and chemical agents, Nguyen said.

The findings, which appear in the journal Nature Biotechnology, could be a breakthrough for healthcare professionals.

“We’ve demonstrated that we can freeze-dry a broad range of synthetic biology sensors to detect viral or bacterial nucleic acids, as well as toxic chemicals, including nerve toxins,” said co-author James Collins, a professor at MIT. “We envision that this platform could enable next-generation wearable biosensors for first responders, health care personnel, and military personnel.”

How the sensors detect COVID-19

The biosensors have been in development for several years, based on freeze-dried cellular machinery that had been used in paper diagnostics for viruses such as Ebola and Zika.

The technology, dubbed wFDCF (wearable freeze-drives cell-free), is a breakthrough in itself. Previous biosensors required living cells to be present, which can be problematic if the little sensor pods are broken.

In an effort to create a useful product to aid the pandemic, researchers integrated wFDCF into face masks during quarantine in 2020.

The biosensors are activated when a button is pressed by the wearer, which hydrates the freeze-dried components and analyzes breath droplets from inside the mask, producing results within 90 minutes.

Sensors on the outside of the garment can also detect exposure from the environment, researchers said.

The mask won’t be available soon

As the Delta variant threatens to prolong the COVID-19 pandemic, these masks would come in handy — but they won’t be around any time soon.

With the threat of other outbreaks and pandemics looming, researchers said they have filed for a patent on the technology and hope to further develop the sensors with a company.

“I think the face mask is probably the most advanced and the closest to a product. We have already had a lot of interest from outside groups that would like to take the prototype efforts we have and advance them to an approved, marketed product,” Collins said.