When millions of humans and animals are on the verge of being exposed to highly contagious and dangerous diseases – time is of the essence. Disease detecting techniques like SERS (Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy), used in a laboratory setting, allow for a higher degree of sensitivity in detection, but the tradeoff for this is a loss of time – potentially leading to heavy losses in cost, health, and lives. 

The recent outbreak in H5N1 (Bird flu) highlights the need for ultra-sensitive, speedy, onsite detection methods in order to identify a full-blown outbreak before it occurs. And with a contagion like Bird flu, which is able to jump species with deadly results, an onsite, easy-to-use SERS unit could be both a business saver and lifesaver.

The idea behind SERS is using an object’s reaction to light. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Freeman Lab, along with partners at Ohio State University, a handheld SERS technique was developed in which a peptide strand, designed to capture a specific virus’ spike signature, is attached to gold nanoparticles. Once the peptide strand has captured the virus, a laser is shone which will reflect the light and indicate if the target virus is present.