Winning undergraduate team in remote research competition developing rapid COVID-19 test

A collaborative team of undergraduate students recently took first place in the Clemson COVID Challenge, a summer virtual research and design opportunity that involved 86 teams and more than 500 participants. The event provided an opportunity for undergraduates to work on problems related to the current COVID-19 situation as well as future possible pandemics.

The winning entry investigated a new type of diagnostic test in saliva for rapid, on-site detection using minimal equipment: vials containing water, buoyant microballoons and magnetic particles, as well as a magnet and a smartphone video camera. The team was mentored by Clemson University Wallace R. Roy Distinguished Professor Jeff Anker.

Brandon McNaughton, the inventor of the essential technology used by the students and founder of the corporate partner, Akadeum Life Sciences Inc., explained, “When both buoyant and magnetic beads bind to viral protein, they form a ‘buoyant and magnetic (BAM) sandwich’ which floats to the surface and can be pulled by magnets. The presence of these sandwiches may be useful to quickly identify the viral infection. The promise of the method is that very low concentrations of virus can be detected in around 15 minutes with little to no equipment.”

Read the full story from Clemson University here.