After launching GeNose, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) formally handed over technology for the detection of Covid-19 from someone's breath, namely GeNose, to the Ministry of Research and Technology / National Agency for Research and Technology on Thursday (25/6/2020).
This UGM researcher's innovation tool for Covid-19 detection can detect the new coronavirus in the human body in a fast time. People can see the test result in no less than 2 minutes of test results, whether they are suspected for positive or negative Covid-19.
"Beforehand, it took about 3 minutes. However, yesterday when we examined the tool at BIN, it could be 80 seconds faster," said Kuwat Triyono as a member of the GeNose research team at the GeNose Public Expose: Covid-19 Sniffing Technology at the BJ Habibie Building. 24th floor, Jakarta.
Apart from being expeditious to detect and have high accuracy, this tool's use is much more affordable than the PCR swab test. One GeNose unit, which is estimated to cost Rp. 40 million, can be used for 100 thousand inspections.
"Currently, the optimum production capacity is around 50 thousand units per month," he said.
Dian Kesumapramudya Nurputra, as another GeNose researcher, explained that GeNose works to detect Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) formed due to a Covid-19 infection. It comes out with the breath through exhalation into a specific bag. Besides, there is a sensor to identify the data and will be continued to be processed with artificial intelligence.
GeNose has gone through a profiling test using 600 samples of valid data at the Bhayangkara Hospital and the Covid Bambanglipuro Special Field Hospital in Yogyakarta. The results show a high level of accuracy, namely, 97 percent. After going through the first phase of clinical trials, GeNose is currently entering the second stage.
The Minister of Research and Technology/National Agency for Research and Technology, Bambang Brodjonegoro, highly appreciated the Covid-19 detection tool developed by the UGM research team. He revealed that he was eager to support GeNose's ongoing clinical trials.
"Research/National Agency for Research and Innovation through the Covid-19 Research and Innovation Consortium is unhesitant to provide support for GeNose finalization efforts in the form of supporting phase 2 clinical trials," he said.
He hopes that the community can immediately use GeNose massively in the middle of the pandemic. By the end of the year in December 2020, he is targeting the community, especially health workers, to use this tool.
"If you have clinical trials and get a distribution permit from the Ministry of Health, make sure that the tools distributed to the Task Force are able to be used as test kits to help Indonesia to expand the testing ratio," he said.
There were several attendants at the GeNose handover official ceremony. They are UGM Deputy Chancellor for Cooperation and Alumni, Paripurna Sugarda, and the entourage, Deputy for Intelligence Technology BIN, Maj. Gen. Afini Boer, Head of the Republic of Indonesia Police Medical and Health Center, Brigadier General Pol Rusdianto, Chair of the Research Consortium and the Covid-19 Innovation Ministry of Research and Technology / National Agency for Research and Innovation, Ali Ghufron Mukti, Plt. Deputy for Strengthening Research and Development of the Ministry of Research and Technology / National Agency for Research and Innovation, Muhammad Dimyati, a representative from the supporting industry for GeNose.
Author: Ika
Translator: Natasa A