Russian scientists roll out cutting-edge coronavirus test systems, protective masks

NOVOSIBIRSK, March 18. /TASS/. Scientists from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have presented their findings to Chinese scientists to fight the coronavirus, including new test systems for quickly and efficiently detecting the presence of the virus, Vice Chairman of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Voevoda said on Wednesday. In February 2020, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences teamed up with specialists from China. Russian scientists created a joint research program with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to deal with the aftermath of the novel coronavirus, Voevoda told reporters at the TASS press center. "In particular, we presented several options for protective masks, which have unique features. Several institutions were invited to participate in the development of a new generation of test systems based on the isothermal chain reaction. There were also proposals for the accelerated development of a new type of vaccine and medicine based on antibodies of recovered patients. This proposal is in line with the strategy, which has shown certain effectiveness, especially in relation to seriously ill patients, during the treatment of the coronavirus infection in Wuhan," he said. According to Voevoda, Chinese scientists are ready to test the effectiveness of the new masks developed by the Institute of Solid State Chemistry and Mechanochemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and private companies in Tomsk. Specialists from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine and the Medical Biological Union will work on the test systems. The current coronavirus illness was registered in central China at the end of December 2019. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. Now known as COVID-19, cases of those infected with the illness have been recorded in more than 130 countries. According to the latest data, over 190,000 people have contracted the virus, and about 8,000 of them have died. A total of 114 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia so far. Read more