On Apr. 21, 2020,the fight against the coronavirus is underway in a Rutgers UniversityﾖCamden research laboratory, where chemistry professor Jinglin Fu is working to develop a mechanism to rapidly detect viral RNA for potential diagnosis of COVID-19.

The new virus detection process under development at Rutgers UniversityﾖCamden is based on the patented DNA Logic-gated Proximity Assembly Circuit technology that can directly detect viral-specific nucleic acid sequences, with a triggered biochemical reaction to produce fluorescence and colorimetric signal on a paper strip. According to the RutgersﾖCamden researcher, the successful outcome of the research would handle various types of swabs (oral, throat, and nasal) and blood samples with a simple procedure and a rapid viral RNA read-out.