New £1 test using origami paper sensors developed at Cranfield University 'can detect infectious diseases quicker'

The innovative method for identifying biomarkers in wastewater enables rapid tracking of infectious diseases using the camera in a mobile phone and costs just £1 a time.

Researchers at Cranfield University, who built on work conducted during the Covid pandemic, say the new test device could dramatically change how public health measures are directed in any future pandemics.

Testing wastewater is one of the main ways to assess the prevalence of infectious diseases.

Scientists take samples from water treatment plants nationwide and use the results to understand which areas have the highest infection rates.

The method was used during the Covid-19 pandemic to track community infection rates and direct public health measures.

Professor Zhugen Yang, of Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, led the development of the new sentinel sensors working with scientists from the University of Glasgow and Zhejiang University in China.

It builds on research he conducted in 2020 to develop a test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, Influenza A and Influenza B in wastewater using a paper-based platform and ultraviolet torch or mobile phone camera.

Until now, the most accurate ways of testing wastewater samples have been methods such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test which must be conducted in centralised laboratories by well-trained personnel.

That means samples are collected, stored and transported in a cold chain to the lab location before being processed, which can take several days and is comparatively expensive.

Prof Yang says the new test method, described in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, is "rapid, user-friendly and portable".

Wastewater samples are placed onto a wax-printed paper sheet which is folded in an ‘origami’ style.

The paper contains chemicals that react to certain disease markers, triggering a fluorescent colour to emerge.

Using a mobile phone camera, the results can be read and data collected rapidly

Prof Yang developed the new method as part of the national Covid-19 wastewater surveillance programme.

At the peak of the pandemic in 2021, he performed tests at four quarantine hotels around Heathrow Airport.

The entire sample-to-answer process took less than 90 minutes compared to around four hours for a PCR test, with the process conducted in the basement of one of the hotels using minimal equipment.

Results showed that the new device gives results at least as accurate as the PCR test, but at a much lower cost - and can provide an early warning of disease in the community.

Prof Yang says the device is particularly useful for areas with limited resource because of its ease of use, low cost and fast results.

He said: “During Covid-19 we proved that fast community sewage analysis is a really effective way to track infectious diseases and help manage public health.

"The simple test we have developed costs just £1 and uses the commonly available camera function in a mobile phone, making it readily accessible.

"This could be a real game-changer when it comes to predicting disease rates and improving public health in the face of future pandemics.”

Prof Yang says that, in future, it could potentially be used to track new variants and help to establish whether the variant is still spreading in the community, as well as monitoring antimicrobial resistance.