From Cows to People: New Testing Options for Coronavirus

When you think of COVID-19, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t cows. However, that’s exactly the link that Center affiliate and Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Mohit Verma hopes to increase testing abilities for the novel Coronavirus. Verma’s research focuses on detection and monitoring of Bovine Respiratory Disease, and he’s working to adapt his biosensors to do the same thing for COVID-19. His sensors rely on the identification of nucleic acids specific to the virus, which in turn identifies the pathogen causing the disease. More specifically, he is focusing on developing a device that uses lights to convey whether a sample is positive.  Once that information is available, it will be much easier to determine the appropriate treatment. The foremost challenge to his effort is altering a process that often takes years to instead be ready in a matter of months. However, Verma isn’t deterred, and is hopeful that his technology can be used moving forward to quickly, cheaply, and effectively test for a multitude of viruses in the future.  As he notes, “This is a great example of how the technology developed in agriculture can have implications far beyond that sphere.”

Author: Robby Teas