Credit: University of Maine.
Key Points:
- Researchers designed liquid-coated air filters to capture and keep pathogens viable for testing.
- The design of the filters is modeled after a plant that has a slippery rim and inner walls.
- The filters can act as an early-warning detection system.
Taking inspiration from a plant, researchers have designed new liquid-coated air filters that allow for improved early detection and analysis of airborne bacteria and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
The University of Maine- and University of Massachusetts Amherst-based team developed a composite membrane with a liquid layer that can capture viable bacterial and viral samples for later analysis—as opposed to conventional air filters that help control the spread of disease but do not capture pathogens. The researchers modeled the membrane after the Nepenthes pitcher plant, which has a slippery rim and inner walls that cause insects to fall and become trapped within its digestive fluid.
The group of researchers developed multiple types of filters that contained their liquid-coated membrane technology. They tested the membranes’ abilities to preserve and release E. coli, SARS-CoV-2, and JC polyomavirus.
According to the study published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, the team found that more airborne pathogens were captured by high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters with their liquid-coated membrane than those without.
“During the early stages of the pandemic we were watching in real time how many problems were being caused by no one knowing where the airborne virus was and where it wasn’t. We had a system that could start to address that need, so it was our responsibility to step up and help out,” said study author Caitlin Howell, a UMaine associate professor of biomedical engineering.
By keeping the bacteria and viruses they capture feasible for examination, researchers say their novel liquid-coated air filters can enhance air sampling efforts, early pathogen detection and biosurveillance for national security.
“I think for our patients and ourselves as caregivers, this technology will give us the confidence we are safer in performing care,” said Dr. Robert Bowie, medical director of the Down East Emergency Medical Institute. “Knowing we have improved safety makes it easier to leave our loved ones and go to work caring for others.”
Information provided by University of Maine.