Ostrich antibodies that make a face mask glow making coronavirus detection easier
A team of researchers at Kyoto University made a face mask using ostrich antibodies that glow under ultraviolet light. The aim is for the mask to detect the presence of coronavirus. They created this mask so people could quickly detect and prevent the spread of Covid19 without paying a hefty cost. Moreover, they checked the efficiency of the filter through trials. The subjects wore the mask for eight hours.
The leader of the Kyoto University research group, Yasuhiro Tsukamoto said that he came up with the idea after the realization that ostriches are highly resistant to disease. It is because have a very strong immune system and this fact provoked him to research ostrich antibodies.
He said,
“Ostriches rarely die from filth, minor injuries, or illnesses, and live for sixty years. I realised that the secret of longevity is that it is resistant to infectious diseases with its amazing immunity and resilience, so I started researching ostrich antibodies in earnest.”
Ostrich Antibodies for Coronavirus Detection
The scientists injected the bird with a spike of the protein of the virus to create the antibodies. After that, they extracted the antibodies from the yolk of the bird’s eggs and bound them to the mask’s filters. The researchers used Polylactic acid during the process.
According to Tsukamoto, these masks are a very feasible production option in the detection of the virus. He said,
“If virus infection can be detected by putting a mouth filter carrying an ostrich antibody in a ‘disposable mask’ that is used every day in the world, non-symptomatic infected people such as super spreaders can be voluntarily treated at an early stage.”
He further added,
“It is a handy and inexpensive device that prevents the invasion of the Covid-19 virus into the human body.”
Moreover, he hopes that this technique will be used in the future to detect other fatal viruses, for example, influenza.
