Terahertz Spectroscopy Applied to Diagnostics in Public Health: A Review

Almeida, Meila Bastos de; Schiavo, Leticia; Esmanhoto, Elis; Lenz, Cesar A.; Rocha, Jaime L.; Loureiro, Marcelo; Kmetiuk, Louise Bach; Biondo, Alexander Welker; Filho, Ivan Roque de Barros

doi:10.1590/1678-4324-75years-2021200770

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The emerging technology based on Terahertz (THz) radiation has been able to detect biofingerprints such as VOCs, viruses, bacteria, and inorganic material of exhaled air [20,21]. Terahertz (THz) waves are located in the electromagnetic radiation between the microwave and the infrared spectrum [17,22]. THz radiation has consisted of non-ionizing electromagnetic waves considered safe for human subjects and operators [23][24][25][26] In addition, studies have shown that the association of algorithms and artificial intelligence may increase the diagnostic effectiveness [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical trial and detection of SARS-CoV-2 by a commercial breath analysis test based on Terahertz technology

et al. 2022

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Public health threats such as the current COVID-19 pandemics have required prompt action by the local, national, and international authorities. Rapid and noninvasive diagnostic methods may provide on-site detection and immediate social isolation, used as tools to rapidly control virus spreading. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to evaluate a commercial breath analysis test (TERA.Bio®) and deterministic algorithm for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 spectral signature of Volatile Organic Compounds present in exhaled air samples of suspicious persons from southern Brazil. A casuistic total of 70 infected and 500 non-infected patients were sampled, tested, and results later compared to RT-qPCR as gold standard. Overall, the test showed 92.6% sensitivity and 96.0% specificity. No statistical correlation was observed between SARS-CoV-2 positivity and infection by other respiratory diseases. Further studies should focus on infection monitoring among asymptomatic persons. In conclusion, the breath analysis test herein may be used as a fast, on-site, and easy-to-apply screening method for diagnosing COVID-19.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical trial and detection of SARS-CoV-2 by a commercial breath analysis test based on Terahertz technology

et al. 2022

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Design and optimization of highly sensitive multi-band terahertz metamaterial biosensor for coronaviruses detection

2023

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This study presents the design and characterization of a highly Q-Factor and ultrasensitive THz refractive-index-based metamaterial biosensor for detecting coronaviruses at electronic infusion device (EID) concentrations $$0.01$$ 0.01 and $$1000$$ 1000 . The proposed biosensor is constructed using a gold plane perforated by a star shape. Moreover, the developed structure is polarization insensitive due to the rotatory symmetry and is angularly stable up to 90°. The proposed biosensor achieves near-perfect absorption at $$1.9656$$ 1.9656 THz and $$3.3692$$ 3.3692 THz. The full width at half-maximum is $$5.276\%$$ 5.276 % and $$0.641\%$$ 0.641 % comparative to the absorption frequency. In addition, the estimated free space absorptivity is 97.2% and 99.1% with a Q-Factor of 19.08 and 155.98 at 1.9656 THz and 3.3692 THz, respectively, when transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM) was selected. The perforated star-shaped was evaluated for IBV (Family of COVID-19) regarding frequency deviation, sensitivity, and figure of merit. Results show that at 1.9656 THz, the proposed design gives 30.8 GHz, 940.49 GHz/RIU, and 8.6, respectively, for 0.01 (EID/5 µL concentration) and 4.4 GHz, 2200 × 103 GHz/RIU, and 20,215.014, respectively at 1.9612 THz for 1000 (EID/5 µL concentration). Although the obtained results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed THz metamaterial biosensor in coronavirus detection, it has also been extended for other types of viruses, including H5N1, H5N2, H9N2, H4N6, and FAdV, based on the slight variations in their refractive indices. Additionally, the influence of the design parameters is optimized in order to achieve better performance.

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