Revealing Unknown Viruses with AI Nanopores
We have already developed a COVID-19 diagnostic method using AI nanopores and analyzed more than 10,000 clinical samples. In addition, we successfully conducted on-site testing at the Spring Koshien high school baseball tournament, demonstrating the effectiveness of this technology. However, to prepare for the next potential emerging infectious disease, we need technologies that can rapidly detect and identify unknown viruses.
For nearly 180 years since viruses were first discovered, new viruses have been identified based on Koch’s postulates, a set of principles that define the phenomena caused by viruses. However, to develop diagnostic methods, it is essential to clarify viruses as physical entities—including their size, shape, and electrical surface properties.
Diagnostics are a form of technology. To realize such technology, an accurate blueprint is indispensable—in other words, detailed physical property data of the virus itself.
Returning to this fundamental perspective, we are developing a new measurement system that combines AI nanopores with nanochannels and spectroscopic techniques. By elucidating the physical properties of viruses in detail, we aim to redefine Koch’s postulates in the language of material properties. This approach will enable the rapid identification of unknown viruses and the immediate development of new diagnostic methods based on AI nanopores. Our goal is to detect future pandemics at the earliest possible stage and protect society.
