UofU professor develops pocket-size instant COVID-19 testing device

University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Massood Tabib-Azar has developed a portable COVID-19 testing device that’s about the size of a key fob — and he’s working to make it smaller. The tiny electronic device can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus from a user’s breath or a drop of saliva and delivers results in less than a minute.

The invention has placed Tabib-Azar as one of 10 finalists in the Open Innovation Track for the XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing competition. The rapid testing contest has a track for tests that utilize PCR, antigen detection and other traditional methods, while the Open Innovation Track is for nontraditional tests whose “approaches demonstrated high potential for impactful screening solutions,” according to the XPRIZE website. XPRIZE is a nonprofit that rewards creators for innovative solutions to world challenges. Tabib-Azar joins competitors from around the world for a share of a $500,000 prize.

“Most sensors, most detection of viruses, they’re based on decomposing the virus to its constituent elements, like RNA and DNA and proteins,” Tabib-Azur said. “Our sensor detects the virus as a whole; it detects it based on its shape, which is spherical and about 125 nanometers.” He said the virus’s distinctive spike proteins, which invade other cells and cause them to replicate, make it easier to detect as well.

Tabib-Azur said that his device not only identifies COVID-19 virus, but it also can measure blood oxygen level and body temperature. And the device can be cleaned between tests simply by applying hot water to the sensor, wiping away the latest results.

The test is currently returning about 5 percent to 6 percent false positive and false negative results, Tabib-Azar said. He said he is working to reduce the false-negative rate to about 2 percent; he isn’t worried about the false positive rate, as a positive result from the device should be followed by further testing with more reliable and traditional methods.