According to Sputnik News - Moscow Region's Krasnogorsky Zavod (KMZ) has presented Russia's first device for detecting viruses, including COVID-19, in the air, at the Army 2020 forum, Alexander Novikov, the plant's general director, told Sputnik.
"The KMZ presents a completely new product - a bio-medical device dubbed 'Detector-BIO,' which detects bacteria, toxins and viruses, including COVID-19, in a room. This is our joint project with the [Russian] Health Ministry's NF Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. With the help of such a device, the automatic analysis of an air sample takes from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the concentration of pathogens and other factors, "Novikov said.
According to the plant's general director, the state tests of this device were completed in June, but the official paperwork for registration is still being prepared, so it is too soon to talk about distribution.
"However, we are completely ready, and if necessary, we can produce as much [devices] as a client needs. It is important that this device can detect various pathogens in the air, so it can be used both for civilian purposes and for biological safety, "Novikov noted.
The plant's parent organization, Shvabe Holding, which is a part of Russian state-owned high-tech conglomerate Rostec, told Sputnik that the new device was a unique gadget that had no analogs on the Russian market.
Detector-BIO is designed to simultaneously detect up to 86 infectious agents of viral and bacterial nature, as well as toxins in the surrounding air in a fully automatic mode. The analysis is performed by two independent methods - real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence. The device is designed to ensure safety in crowded places, during mass events, at metro, airports, railway stations and transport hubs.