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    Napkin To Detect Biohazards

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    viju
    A "nano napkin" has been developed that can detect harmful bacteria and viruses with a simple swipe. The napkin contains ultra-fine polymer fibers coated with antibody-bearing proteins that release dye to change the napkin's color when a specific pathogen is detected, such as E. coli bacteria turning the napkin yellow. Researchers believe the napkin technology could be adapted to detect many contaminants by substituting different antibodies and potentially screen for dozens of biohazards at once in an inexpensive and easy-to-use format not yet available on the market.

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    Napkin To Detect Biohazards

    Uploaded by

    viju
    14 views1 page
    A "nano napkin" has been developed that can detect harmful bacteria and viruses with a simple swipe. The napkin contains ultra-fine polymer fibers coated with antibody-bearing proteins that release dye to change the napkin's color when a specific pathogen is detected, such as E. coli bacteria turning the napkin yellow. Researchers believe the napkin technology could be adapted to detect many contaminants by substituting different antibodies and potentially screen for dozens of biohazards at once in an inexpensive and easy-to-use format not yet available on the market.

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    A "nano napkin" has been developed that can detect harmful bacteria and viruses with a simple swipe. The napkin contains ultra-fine polymer fibers coated with antibody-bearing proteins that release dye to change the napkin's color when a specific pathogen is detected, such as E. coli bacteria turning the napkin yellow. Researchers believe the napkin technology could be adapted to detect many contaminants by substituting different antibodies and potentially screen for dozens of biohazards at once in an inexpensive and easy-to-use format not yet available on the market.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    14 views1 page

    Napkin To Detect Biohazards

    Uploaded by

    viju
    A "nano napkin" has been developed that can detect harmful bacteria and viruses with a simple swipe. The napkin contains ultra-fine polymer fibers coated with antibody-bearing proteins that release dye to change the napkin's color when a specific pathogen is detected, such as E. coli bacteria turning the napkin yellow. Researchers believe the napkin technology could be adapted to detect many contaminants by substituting different antibodies and potentially screen for dozens of biohazards at once in an inexpensive and easy-to-use format not yet available on the market.

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    Napkin to Detect Biohazards

    Imagine being able to detect harmful bacteria, viruses, or other contaminants


    with a simple swipe of a paper towel. Far-fetched as it might sound, such a
    technology already exists, though it’s not yet on the market.

    The presence of E. coli bacteria (shown here) causes the "nano napkin" to turn yellow.

    The so-called “nano napkin” is a napkin made of ultra-fine polymer fibers 100
    billionths of a meter (or 100 nanometers) wide. The fibers are coated with
    antibody-bearing proteins. When the antibodies come in contact with a specific
    pathogen, they release a dye that changes the color of the napkin.

    So far, Cornell researchers have only developed a napkin to detect E. coli


    bacteria. Wipe the napkin on a surface contaminated with E. coli and it turns
    yellow—a potentially useful tool in a meat-packing plant or industrial kitchen. By
    substituting different antibodies, napkins could be made to detect any number of
    contaminants, including anthrax, bird flu, or even the common cold virus. Multiple
    antibodies on one napkin could allow for detection of dozens of biohazards at
    once.

    Though the napkin is in its preliminary stages, the technology promises to be


    inexpensive and, clearly, easy to use.

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