• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sensor Tips

Sensor Product News, Tips, and learning resources for the Design Engineering Professional.

  • What’s Hot
    • Development Tools
    • Energy Harvesting
    • Market Research
    • Packaging
    • Sensor Fusion
    • Sensor-specific software
    • Signal Conditioning
    • Touch Sensing
    • Wireless
  • Motion Sensing
  • Vision systems
    • Smart cameras
    • Vision software
    • Lighting
    • Optics
  • Pressure
  • Speed
  • Temperature
  • Suppliers
  • Video
  • EE Learning Center

How is MEMS involved in coronavirus testing?

March 25, 2020 By Randy Frank

Testing for the presence or absence of coronavirus (COVID-19) is one of the major issues during the current pandemic.

On March 21, 2020, Cepheid, a company that designs and manufacturers molecular testing systems and products announced that it received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test system. The rapid molecular diagnostic test provides qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19. Designed to operate on any of the company’s more than 23,000 automated GeneXpert Systems worldwide, nearly 5,000 of these systems are in the US for point-of-care testing and in-hospital usage.

To determine whether or not a patient has the virus, a nasal sample is taken using a swab, mixed in a tube with a liquid so the sample can be dispensed with a pipette into the test cartridge that includes the testing reagent. Test results are available in about 45 minutes. In addition to configurations that can test one, two, four, 16 or 48 modules, the largest system can handle up to 80 cartridges at a time for automated, simultaneous processing.

According to AMFitzgerald & Associates’ March 2020 Newsletter, this process uses microfluidic chip-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis machines. A simple two-step description of the PCR process is:

  1. thermal cycling amplifies the DNA present in a patient’s swab sample, and
  2. then fluorescence optical detection searches for the virus’s specific DNA

Unlike a traditional PCR machine that would take many hours to thermal cycle and reach a result, the small size of the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-scale heaters and reaction chambers provide a significantly faster heat-cool cycle and results in minutes.

Cepheid tests will begin shipping the week of March 23.

Filed Under: Featured, Frequently Asked Question (FAQ), MEMS Sensor Technology, Optics Tagged With: Cepheid

Primary Sidebar

DesignFast

Component Selection Made Simple.

Try it Today
design fast globle

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Randy Frank delivers weekly sensor industry news, sensor resources, new sensor product innovations and more.

Subscribe Today

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion

EE TRAINING CENTER CLASSROOMS

“ee

“ee

“ee

“ee

“ee

“ee

RSS Current EDABoard.com discussions

  • could calibre lvs do not check mosfet B term
  • Sign-Off MMMC setup in 65nm CMOS
  • 1k to 2kHz Frequency converter
  • Mahindra Inverter continuous beep sound and all led glowing except battery indicator
  • Charge injection simulation in cadence

RSS Current Electro-Tech-Online.com Discussions

  • Voltage Regulator 12 - 5volt
  • XOR Gate Circuit From Diodes
  • Positive and negative sides of voltage source
  • DIY Mini 12v Router UPS malfunction
  • 24v dc relays not de-energising


SensorTips Videos

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Implementing Position Sensors for Hazardous Areas & Safety
  • How New Rotary Sensor Technology Enables New Application Solutions
  • Magnetic sensor ensures safety features in depaneling machines

Footer

EE WORLD ONLINE NETWORK

  • DesignFast
  • EE World Online
  • EDA Board Forums
  • Electro Tech Online Forums
  • Microcontroller Tips
  • Analog IC Tips
  • Connector Tips
  • Power Electronic Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips
  • Wire and Cable Tips
  • 5G Technology World

SENSOR TIPS

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About us
Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookFollow us on YouTube Follow us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy