Development of In-situ Air Samplers for Real-time Airborne Virus and Bacteria Monitoring

A Yonsei research team, led by Professor Jungho Hwang in the school of Mechanical Engineering has been developing various techniques for real-time sampling of airborne pathogenic bioaerosols such as bacteria and virus. The air samplers are designed for an efficient collection of bioaerosols in either hydrosols or non-hydrosol-based platforms. The air samplers are integrated with various detection systems to provide rapid and accurate detection. The intracellular substance of bacteria collected by the air samplers reacts with a luminescent reagent to emit light, and the intensity of this light is proportional to the number of bacteria. 

The air samplers can also collect airborne viruses that are assayed using a commercial in-vitro diagnostic kit. The team has also elucidated an efficient technique for reducing the bioaerosols damage during aerosol-to-hydrosol sampling process. The results of these studies have been published in J. Hazardous Materials and Analytica Chimica Acta. According to Professor Hwang, “Bioaerosol sampling is crucial for environmental monitoring of hazardous airborne pathogens, which can contribute greatly to global health concerns and possibly prevent future pandemics.”