We’ve all been there – we feel sick but we don’t know what’s causing it. Since upper respiratory illnesses are common and its causes are varied and bountiful, it has been quite difficult to identify the primary virus responsible. Well, scientists from Yale University have developed a new test to identify whether your respiratory illness is caused by virus. Created by lead researchers and MDs Ellen Foxman and Marie Landry, the test involves a simple nasal swab and measures RNA or protein molecules activity in response to viral presence in human cells. The two lead researches where able to create such a test that used RNAs to predict viral infection with 97% accuracy by using genetic sequencing techniques to screen human cells and successfully identify three RNAs and two proteins that were turned on in the presence of a virus.
Unlike many existing tests today, this test is different because it does not test for individual viruses, but whether the body is fighting a virus. The researchers plan to implement this new tests into a rapid gene and protein tests for physicians and doctors to easily and accessibly use to treat patients in 1-5 years. With this test, there is a great increase in potential to diagnose viral infections more quickly and accurately, avoid using more time-consuming and costly tests, and reduce the misuse of antibiotics to treat infections.
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Jessica Ngo
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