Scientists have developed a novel technology for a CRISPR-based COVID-19 diagnostic test that uses a smartphone camera to provide accurate results in under 30 minutes.
According to the research published in the journal Cell, the new diagnostic test can not only generate a positive or negative result, it also measures the viral load -- the concentration of virus -- in a given sample.
The smartphone camera, essentially converted into a microscope, can detect the fluorescence and report that a swab tested positive for the virus, according to the researchers.