Can butterfly wings help detect COVID-19 faster?

An international team, led by Swinburne University of Technology and Australian National University (ANU), have made a breakthrough discovery that could potentially lead to faster, more accurate molecular or virus tests, including for COVID-19.

The researchers were inspired by how light is concentrated in butterfly wings and have discovered a new way to concentrate light on a chip, which has powerful potential for molecular or virus detection.

The team is co-led by Director of Swinburne's Centre for Translational Atomaterials, Professor Baohua Jia, and head of the ANU's Nonlinear Physics Centre, Distinguished Professor Yuri Kivshar. Together, they have solved one of the most persistent challenges in the study and engineering of light at nanoscale (known as nanophotonics): light field enhancement at a nanoscale.

Basically, how to produce huge light energy on a miniscule scale.Their discovery enables the creation of ultracompact sensing chips. These are the size of 100 microns (for context, that's the size of a strand of your hair) with unprecedented sensitivity for detecting pathogens.

It brings enormous advantages, including faster and more accurate molecular detection in blood and saliva. This would vastly improve our ability to test and track viruses, reducing the chance of community transmission of contagious viruses. And, it could also play an important role in preventative health by revolutionizing how surplus sugars and other anomalies in the blood are detected.