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Hi! I’m Mo Barrow with The Discovery Files, from NSF, the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Have you been tested for COVID? If you have, you know the nasal swab test can be just a wee bit uncomfortable.

But no worries! Researchers are developing a non-invasive, breathalyzer test that can deliver results in as little as 15 seconds.

NSF-funded researchers at the Ohio State University are using nanotechnology to measure biomarkers in the breath unique to the virus.

Early tests have proven effective in identifying the virus in critically ill people, picking up early COVID-19 infection within 72 hours of the onset of respiratory failure and reducing the number of COVID-19 patients needing a ventilator.

The team says this research is unprecedented in its use of a nano-sensor breathalyzer system to detect viral infection in exhaled breaths.

With the potential increase in COVID infections during the holidays, a quick, non-invasive method of detecting viral infections has significant importance.

Results in 15 seconds? Sign me up!

Discover how the U.S. National Science Foundation is advancing research at nsf.gov.

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